Bathukamma Fest Ends on Grand Note in Warangal, Karimnagar
The festival began on Mahalaya Amavasya with Engili Poola Bathukamma and culminated on Ashtami Tithi with the celebrations of Saddula Bathukamma
WARANGAL/KARIMNAGAR: The nine-day floral festival of Bathukamma concluded on a grand note, with lakhs of women celebrating Saddula Bathukamma in the erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar districts. The unique cultural festival, which reveres nature, witnessed colourful immersions and traditional gaiety at local lakes and ponds.
The festival began on Mahalaya Amavasya with Engili Poola Bathukamma and culminated on Ashtami Tithi with the celebrations of Saddula Bathukamma.
Before the Bathukamma festivities, unmarried girls worshipped a clay idol called Boddemma for nine days, singing songs about marriage before immersing it on the ninth day. Bathukamma celebrations begin the day after Boddemma’s immersion.
From early morning, women decorated their front yards with rangolis and prepared Bathukammas using exotic flowers, often involving their daughters to pass on Telangana’s unique cultural tradition to the next generation. Two Bathukammas were usually prepared, a large one representing the mother and a smaller one representing the daughter. They were beautifully arranged with locally available flowers such as Thangedu, Gunugu, Banti, and Chamanti.
The floral arrangement is revered as Gauramma, the giver of life in Shaiva tradition, and as Sri Lakshmi, the giver of wealth in Vaishnava tradition.
In the evening, women and their daughters, dressed in traditional attire, gathered at local ponds and lakes. After placing Bathukammas in the centre, they sang traditional songs that were simple, rhythmic, and poetic, capturing the essence of family, human relationships, and social values.
The celebrations concluded with women exchanging turmeric and kumkum, along with sattu pindi, a health-focused mix of peanuts, jaggery, dry coconut, and sesame. This was followed by the ceremonial immersion of Bathukammas in water. The immersion ritual also holds ecological significance, as the medicinal properties of the flowers are believed to purify water bodies.
Meanwhile, officials made elaborate arrangements at lakes and tanks, including the installation of high-mast lights, barricades, and deployment of volunteers to assist women in immersing their Bathukammas. Police in both districts enforced strict security measures and deployed swimming experts to prevent any untoward incidents.
