Every year this festival is celebrated as per Telugu version of Hindu calendar in the Bhadrapada Amavasya, also known as Mahalaya Amavasya, usually in September–October of Gregorian calendar. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri. This festival usually comes in the later part of monsoon and because of these rains, a lot of flowers bloom called as “gunuka poolu“. Women celebrate the festival with these flowers by dancing in traditional folk. It is vibrant and a colorful festival celebrated highlighting the flowers grown in every region.
But why is this festival celebrated?
According to ancient mythology, there was a King named Dharmangada who belonged to the Chola Dynasty. This particular king largely ruled over South India. His wife gave birth to a girl child after many years of rituals and prayer. She was named as Princess Lakshmi. They had given birth to this princess after having lost their 100 sons in a war. Princess Lakshmi survived many unforeseen accidents in the early age of her birth. Her parents were worried and hence named her Batukamma. Batuku in Telugu means Live and Amma meaning mother. People celebrate this festival to give significance to the goddess who lives forever.
Women, during the festival, make heaps with flowers called Batukammas and gather up with them in circles. They dance around the batukammas in traditional folk. Later on they carry it to the nearest pond and slowly immerse it in water. The flowers used in Batukamma have a great quality of purifying water and such flowers when immersed in abundance into the pond have the effect of cleansing the water and making the environment much better.
To maintain the significance of such a heritage, Telangana Government has made all the possible arrangements throughout the state to carry forward this beautiful festival. Watch this lovely video to visualize the same.
