Bathukamma Festivities Begin With Engilipula Celebrations

Hyderabad:The nine-day Bathukamma festival began across Telangana on Saturday, coinciding with Mahalaya Amavasya, as women dressed in traditional attire gathered to celebrate Engilipula Bathukamma, the first day of the floral festival. Women assembled in residential colonies, public spaces and educational institutions, arranging colourful flowers into Bathukammas and singing traditional folk songs as they danced around the floral arrangements.

On the first day, devotees offered a mixture of sesame seeds, rice flour and broken rice to the deity. The celebrations will culminate with Saddula Bathukamma on Durgashtami.

Bathukamma, a floral festival symbolising Telangana's culture, traditions and reverence for nature, is celebrated during the Ashwayuja month, when seasonal flowers bloom and waterbodies are replenished by the monsoon.

The festival celebrates the bond between nature and humanity, with women worshipping Goddess Gauri through floral arrangements made from locally available flowers.

The tourism department organised special celebrations to mark the occasion. The tourism and transport ministers unveiled Bathukamma songs produced by the department to showcase Telangana's cultural heritage and traditions.

Residential colonies across Hyderabad wore a festive look as women carried decorated Bathukammas to community gathering places. At Yousufguda, women formed large circles around the floral arrangements, singing traditional songs and dancing together. The celebrations highlighted women's role in preserving cultural traditions and strengthening community bonds.

Kasturba Gandhi Degree and PG College for Women also organised its annual Bathukamma Sambaralu, with faculty members and students participating in the festivities.

Student council member Dr Varalakshmi said the college conducted a Bathukamma-making competition as part of the celebrations and presented prizes to the winners.