Bathukamma Date Confusion Splits Warangal, Hanamkonda
According to Bhadrakali Sheshu Sharma of the Bhadrakali Temple in Warangal, Saddula Bathukamma should be celebrated on Tuesday, September 30, as only the tithi at sunrise is taken into consideration to determine the date of festivals.
Warangal: A dispute over determining the accurate date for the celebration of Saddula Bathukamma, which culminates the nine-day Bathukamma festival, drove a wedge between the twin cities of Warangal and Hanamkonda, which were always considered to be the one and the same.
Saddula Bathukamma is traditionally celebrated on Durga Ashtami — the eighth lunar day from Mahalaya Amavasya. However, as Ashtami falls on two days — beginning in the evening of September 29 (Monday) and ending on September 30 (Tuesday) evening, two major celebrated temples in Warangal and Hanamkonda have made contradictory assessments, confusing people in the historic cities.
According to Bhadrakali Sheshu Sharma of the Bhadrakali Temple in Warangal, Saddula Bathukamma should be celebrated on Tuesday, September 30, as only the tithi at sunrise is taken into consideration to determine the date of festivals.
However, Gangu Upendra Sharma, the chief priest of the Thousand Pillar Temple, insisted Bathukamma festival must be celebrated strictly for nine days. As Mahalaya Amavasya was on September 21, he maintained that the ninth day will be on Monday, September 29 and this would be the day when Saddula Bathukamma must be celebrated.
Supporting Upendra Sharma’s view, astrologer Uppala Ramesh Sharma added that as Bathukammas are traditionally immersed in the evening, the festival should be celebrated on Monday, as Ashtami begins in September 29 evening.
Due to contradictory interpretrations, Hanamkonda residents are preparing to celebrate on Monday at the historic Padmakshi Temple, while people in Warangal will celebrate the grande finale on Tuesday at Rangleela Maidan in Ursu Gutta.
The state government’s official directive asking all departments to prepare for Saddula Bathukamma on Tuesday, September 30, has further complicated matters as women will have to choose between the tradition and the official order.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Nampally Saritha Rani, a home maker, said, “Even my Brahmin friends are divided. Some are celebrating on Monday, believing goddess Gouramma should not be immersed on Tuesday. Others insist Tuesday is fine, since Mangala Gouri Vratham also falls on a Tuesday.”