Waving off to Bappa, Telangana awaits Bathukamma to enter their houses. Bathukamma is a colorful floral festival celebrated by Telangana women, embracing the glory of vibrant nature in a variety of flowers.
Bathukamma festival is usually celebrated from the first day of Ashwayuja according to the Telugu calendar and is celebrated for 9 days. This year, the Bathukamma festival will start on September 25th, 2022. And Sadhula Bathukamma is on October 3rd, 2022.
The Origin
Bathukamma means, “Mother Goddess come alive”. The origin of the bathukamma festival was in AD 1006 during the Cholas Era. According to history, Raja Raja Chola after his gracious victory over the Vemulavada Chalukya kingdom looted a huge shivalinga from Brihadeswara temple and installed it in Brihadeeswaralayam of Thanjavur. As the looting of shivalinga disheartened the people of vemulavada (present-day Telangana, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra), people started arranging Bathukamma – Gouri Devi in the shape of Meru mountain to console Goddess Parvathi.
How to Celebrate Bathukamma?
Usually, the Bathukamma festival comes during the latter half of the monsoon. And these monsoon rains in this season fill up the ponds and lakes which helps many wildflowers like “tangedu”, “gunuka”, & more to bloom which are the main flowers people[i]use to decorate Bathukamma.
Floral Arrangement
The flowers should be precisely placed in circular rows of contrasting colors on a brass plate called a "taambalam." Placing one circle above another, 7 concentric circles of flowers should be arranged in the form of a pyramid.
The bigger the size decoration of Bathukamma, the better it looks.
Between layers of white "gunuka" flowers that have been painted with watercolors, circular layers of vibrant "tangedu" in various colors can be placed.
Gouri Amma made of turmeric can be placed on the top.
Celebration
Bathukamma is celebrated for 9 days and below are the days, bathukamma names, and importance.
1st Day - Engili pula Bathukamma
2nd Day - Atkula Bathukamma
3rd Day - Muddapappu Bathukamma
4th Day - Nanabiyyam Bathukamma
5th Day - Atla Bathukamma
6th Day - Aligina Bathukamma
7th Day - Vepakayala Bathukamma
8th Day - Vennamuddala Bathukamma
9th Day - Saddula Bathukamma
Hindu women, particularly young girls, gather in huge numbers in their native localities in the evening to perform the rituals associated with this event. Then, after forming a circle, they undertake the ritual, which entails them singing a song and turning around the Bathukamma while clapping their hands and moving in unison.
The entire practice is intended to invoke the goddess' blessings for their families health and prosperity. Later the women folk carry the bathukamma on their heads and reach their nearby water body for the procession.
Bathukamma signifies the beauty of our mother nature, the collaborative spirit of Telangana Women, and the ecological zeal of the agrarian people in protecting the environment in a fun way. People who stay in abroad countries like the USA, Canada, and North America, can also celebrate bathukamma at their places.
Check out our Bathukamma Festive Kit, which is an assorted collection of all the things you need to celebrate this festival. From flowers to Gopuram, this kit fulfills all the Bathukamma requirements.
So, stop worrying about how/where to buy flowers or figuring out how to make the tower of flowers stick. Desi Favors has the solution for all the Telugu women celebrating Bathukamma in US/l and Canada.
And for the eco friendly ladies out there, this bathukamma kit is reusable , you can reuse the entire kit for the next year. You can also reside the flowers for another festival, as the flowers are made with Shola Wood.
You can also mail these kits as gifts to friends, anywhere in USA/ Canada for a worry free Bathukamma celebration for them while imparting some Telangana culture to the kids.
