Bathukamma 2025: Saddula Bathukamma History, Significance and Why It's Celebrated?
Bathukamma is considered the state festival of Telangana, a symbol of its cultural heritage
By : Guest Post
Update: 2025-09-30 06:47 GMT
Today marks the end of Bathukamma, Telangana’s most significant festival, with the celebration of Saddula Bathukamma or Pedda Bathukamma. This autumn festival pays homage to the Mother Goddess, expressing gratitude for the season’s harvest and praying for another bountiful crop. It is led by women, honouring their role in sustaining the circle of life. The festival also coincides with Navaratri, further adding to the commemoration of womanhood and nature.
Bathukamma is considered the state festival of Telangana, a symbol of its cultural heritage.
The History of Bathukamma
While the exact origins of Bathukamma are unclear, there are various myths surrounding its inception. One legend connects it to the Chola King Dharmangada and his daughter. The king had lost 100 sons in battle and remained childless for many years, praying for Goddess Lakshmi as his daughter. Eventually, he and his queen were blessed with a daughter. The child faced many near-death experiences but survived, giving her the name Bathukamma (translated to ‘Come Alive, Mother’).
Another myth says that Gouri Devi fell into a deep sleep after a fierce battle with the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Her devotees prayed for her to wake up, chanting the words "Bathukamma", and she finally woke up on the day of Dasami, the final day of Bathukamma. Each story of the 9-day festival highlights devotion to the Mother Goddess, honouring the legacy of the divine feminine.
The Significance of Bathukamma Immersion
Every year, women gather to pay tribute to Maha Gouri, the Goddess of Life, building colourful, floral arrangements and performing various folk songs and traditional dances. On the final day of the festival, women carry their floral arrangements (Bathukammas) to nearby ponds and immerse them in the water.
Bathukammas are made of various seasonal, medicinal flowers, arranged in seven concentric layers resembling the pyramid structure of a temple. After constructing the Bathukamma, a Gouramma, a turmeric idol of Gouri Maa, is placed on top of the stack. Women of the community offer daily prayers to the idol, dancing and singing around the structure.
The Gouramma idol is removed on the last day of the festival, before the flower stacks are immersed in ponds, symbolising the cyclic nature of life. It is an offering made to the Mother Goddess, returning the abundance she brings to our lives. The Bathukamma immersion also preserves the water ecosystem, the flowers helping nourish and retain water bodies. This practice reaps benefits for the next crop as well, reinforcing the innate relationship between water, the planet Earth, and human beings.
Autumn is a season of celebration for many parts of India, and Telangana is no different. Bathukamma is a time for communities to unite and connect with nature, each other, and themselves. It is a tribute to feminine power, commemorating the abundance of life and the ever-flowing benevolence of Mother Divine.
This article is authored by Tejasree Kallakrinda, interning with Deccan Chronicle