Telangana gears up for nine days of Floral Festival ‘Bathukamma’

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India’s youngest state is all set to dive in colours of joy and happiness as they begin the nine days of Floral Festival Bathukamma. The state, especially the capital city Hyderabad, is already decorated like a new bride to celebrate the festival which started on Saturday, September 29th and will go on till October 6th.  For the inversed, ‘Bathukamma’ is an embodiment of Telangana’s rich cultural identity which is celebrated with grandeur and merriment.

This festival is celebrated particularly by the women of Telangana and takes place towards the end of monsoon, just before the winter arrives. Flowers like ‘gunuka’ (or ‘gunugu’), ‘tangedu’, ‘banti’, ‘chamanti’ and ‘nandi-vardhanam’ are used in this festival. The festival is celebrated by worshipping the local goddesses of Telangana. People offer them prayers, food and flowers. Saddula Bathukamma’, the finale of the Bathukamma festival, falls two days before Dussehra.

Women in Telangana during this festival make small ‘Bathukammas’ and dance around them every evening. After this, they immerse them in a nearby water pond. Bathukammas, for those who don’t know, are colorful flowers carefully arranged in circular rows in a brass plate.

In 2014, Bathukamma was declared as the state festival by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). Infact, schools and educational institutions keep close during these nine days. Children and women take part in folk dances and songs and decorate their houses for the celebrations. The State Government even distributes sarees to women from BPL (Below Poverty Line) families.

Each saree costing Rs 280, Government is giving away 1.02 crore sarees this year, spending around Rs 313 crore. The initiative has been taken in order to increase employment as the saree have been sourced from the weaver clusters in the state.

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