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| Bathukamma బతుకమ్మ | |
|---|---|
 Bathukamma | |
| Official name | Batukamma |
| Type | Floral(flower) Festival of Gauri |
| Celebrations | 9 days |
| Observances | |
| Begins | Pitru Amavasya |
| 2023 date | 14 Oct (Sat) – 22 Oct (Sun) |
| Frequency | Annual |
Bathukamma is a hindu flower-festival celebrated by the women of Telangana and some parts of Andhra Pradesh.[1][2][3] Every year this festival is celebrated as per the Sathavahana calendar for nine days starting on Pitru Amavasya, which usually coincides with the months September–October of the Gregorian calendar. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days and corresponds to the festivals of Sharad Navratri and Durga Puja. It starts on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the 9-day festivities will culminate on "Saddula Bathukamma" or "Pedda Bathukamma." Bathukamma is followed by Boddemma, which is a 7-day festival. The Boddemma festival that marks the ending of Varsha Ruthu whereas Bathukamma marks the beginning of Sarad or Sharath Ruthu.
In Telugu, ‘Bathukamma' means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’. Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of a temple gopuram. It is usually brothers who bring flowers to their mother and sisters to arrange bathukamma.
Historically, Bathukamma meant "the festival of life". It also marks the celebration of femininity in the Deccan region, during which women of Telangana dress up in traditional saris, with jewels and other accessories. Teenage Girls wear Langa-Oni/Half-Sarees/Lehenga Choli with jewels in order to bring out the traditional grace of the attire.
9 Nights of Bathukamma
- Day 1: Engili pula Bathukamma[4]
- Day 2: Atukula Bathukamma
- Day 3: Muddapappu Bathukamma
- Day 4: Nanabiyyam Bathukamma
- Day 5: Atla Bathukamma
- Day 6: Aligina Bathukamma or (Alaka bhathukamma)
- Day 7: Vepakayala Bathukamma
- Day 8: Vennela muddala Bathukamma
- Day 9: Saddhula Bathukamma
Bathukamma represents cultural spirit of Telangana. It, along with the festivals of Bonalu, Sammakka Saralamma Jatara gained increased significance during the Telangana movement as a marker of the region's separate cultural identity from Andhra Pradesh, and its celebration has become much more prominent with the secession of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh in 2014.[5][6][7]
- ^ "Bathukamma festival begins in Telangana". Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ Chinese guests to serve Telangana’s flavour this Bathukamma.
- ^ "Bathukamma 2017: Know how the festival is celebrated in Telangana,Maharashtra and Karnataka". The Financial Express. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Velugu, V6 (28 September 2019). "Significance Of Engili Pula Bathukamma". V6 Velugu (in Telugu).
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Inukonda, Sumanth (23 September 2019). Media, Nationalism and Globalization: The Telangana Movement and Indian Politics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-53564-2.
- ^ Prasad, Krishna (26 September 2017). "Like Tilak, we'll promote culture to cement our Telangana identity". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bathukamma Essence". telanganatourism.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.