bathukamma a telangana festival
Batukammais a spring festival celebrated by women in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. This festival usually is in the months of September/October (Aswiyuja), concludes two days before Dussera on durgashtami.
The name Batukamma is given to a flower mound, arranged with different flowers usually in seven concentric layers of potter’s clay like a cone.
Batuku means live, and Amma means mother, hence Batukamma. Batukamma celebrates the glory of Gauri goddess (meaning fair or white) – the patron Goddess of womanhood.This festival is an all-woman affair. Women celebrate this festival dressed-up traditionally in silk sarees, wear Jewelery and girls in a two-piece saree called as Langa oni, and participate with great fervour.
In the evenings, women gather different kinds of unique seasonal flowers, some coloured, some scented and arrange them on a wide plate called as tambalamu, in the shape of a conical mound.
Women then gather in large numbers along with their batukammas in their locality, place them in the middle and dance around them, synchronizing steps and claps in unison, and singing soul stirring batukamma folk songs.
After the singing and dancing, batukammalu are set afloat in a lake or river.
This festival goes on for seven days and concludes on Durgastami, the main festival day is called Saddula Batukamma. On this day they celebrate into wee hours and later go to a nearby village lake to set their Batukamma afloat. Lakes with floating batukammas in the evenings is a treat to the eyes.
the above details are taken from wikipedia.coming to my memories of this festival , it goes back to my childhood days,i enjoyed participating in this festival like any other girl of telangana region.i observed that the songs sung by elderly,middle aged married woman are not just about the ritual,but they had so much meaning in it.the songs are more of the stories of a common woman,her dreams as a girl,her responsibilities and plights as daughter-in-law and as wife once she is married.and sometimes just describing the beauty of nature.
its really rejoicing to participate in this festival forgetting all the nonsense that is going on in the world,away from the busy routine,forgetting all our sorrows for a moment.
![I keep holding on [Explored]](http://static.flickr.com/7097/7309045590_eb4be7eaca_t.jpg "I keep holding on [Explored]")
nice one.keep writing.:)
February 5, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Good job pavani….
February 22, 2008 at 9:55 pm
HI ,
NICE TO SEE THE PICS REALLY
FELT IT WONDERFUL AND
KEEP UP TE GOOD WORK
AND KEEP DOIN
September 23, 2010 at 8:08 pm
thanks anon and vinod,thanks a lot for encouraging me,frankly i didn’t expect any appreciation at all,but iam really delighted by the response.i will definately keep wrting in the future.
February 28, 2008 at 9:46 am
hi
good one pavani
hope u continue ur press on our telangana culture
can u please try on ‘telangana people’–i mean tradition,culture,history..
im member of TDF..
thanx
May 10, 2008 at 10:06 pm
hi
very good one
keep writing
bye
May 16, 2008 at 4:22 pm
hi pavani u’r batukamma pic.s pretty good. i invite u to see my orkut profile & pic.s
http://www.orkut.co.in/Profile.aspx?uid=10514166650120071117
May 30, 2008 at 11:43 am
good one
u made me remember those past days
i hope i will be in hyd this bathukkama
thanx
May 30, 2008 at 3:45 pm
hi pradeep,sai,naveen,priya
thanks a lot for ur comments and support.i will definately come up with more posts releated to telangana.Thank you once again
May 31, 2008 at 4:10 am
ok. don’t forget to check my telangana pics. i’ve collected nearly 200 pic.s of telangana.
June 4, 2008 at 3:42 am
hi
really loved ur pics
im ATA trustee
hope u do some posts on bonalu
which is performed to the core in twin cities
jai telanagna
July 5, 2008 at 10:05 am
hai
very good one keep writing by
September 29, 2008 at 5:45 am
v v good.jai telangana.
September 30, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hello Pavani!
That’s quite informative, but i would actually wish to know the scientific reasons for the whole festival, which most probably / as far as i am aware, could be that the two main flowers used – one of them TANGEDA puvvulu the other flower — is used basically to cleanse the water pollutants and is also a fodder for the fish.
Especially now right after we are polluting our water bodies with all the Plaster of Paris (POP) Ganesh’s and Durga’s, I think we in our own small way should encourage the Bathukamma festival by calling it an Eco Friendly Festival and also by making the flowers available in abundance.
Let’s not get into the Telangana/ Andhra business. Though I am also a proper Telangana Women I prefer to call myself an Indian Citizen firstly and then a Global Citizen.
Kudos’ to you for doing what you have so far. Have Fun!
October 1, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hi,
I would like to appreciate you for giving the details of bathukamma festival.
I wish, if you can post the bathukamma song it will be better for us to learn as the festival is started and we can use that song for the festival. Please give a song of bathukamma, if available.
October 3, 2008 at 11:29 am
Good post, keep writing
October 7, 2008 at 7:23 am
Nice one pavani. Ranjitha also explained scientifically correct
October 11, 2008 at 9:55 am
Hey!
I am researching particularly on Telangana women in the 1940 – 1950′s period.
Your pictures came up while I was searching!
Its very creative… I was wondering if you could possibly have any
pictures of attire of brides during the 1940 – 1950′s from Telangana.
That will be so much help!
Thanks
~Neha.
P.S: Please feel free to e-mail me.
October 23, 2008 at 6:49 am
I neha i would love to see the telangana attire,i even asked my mom once that i would like to take a picture dressed that way……..:-)) but unfortunately we dont have much of the info on the net regards that…..
Thanks for the comment any way
October 23, 2008 at 7:37 am
Hi Pavani & Neha,
I may be able to help you people with the photographs from my family and relatives… !
June 22, 2009 at 1:31 am
Hi Ranjitha,
Thank you for the response,yes it would be really nice if you can help me with that,but do you mind if i publish those photos in the blog?Please let em know your view.Thanks again for the sweet gesture.
June 22, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Dear Pavani,
September 16, 2009 at 8:35 am
Hey all the best for people who all are bringing the stuff regarding Telangana.Im looking for our Telangana freedom fighter Komaram bheem images.Please send me some of Komaram bheem images.Mail me :karthikmydreams@yahoo.com
October 20, 2009 at 7:27 pm
its very nice
and
really good
October 24, 2009 at 2:25 am
its very cery nice we r expecting many more Photos from u…
November 12, 2009 at 9:41 am
hi pavani…
loved your article.. very impressive..
can you publish articles on “bonaalu” and “sammakka-saralamma jaathara” as well..
am ready to help (if u need)..
cheers
sudheer
Koti Rathanala Veena, naa Telangana – Jai Telangana, Jai Jai Telangana
December 12, 2009 at 6:32 pm
it’s nice
jai telangana jai jai telangana
December 15, 2009 at 5:06 am
hey….it is too good…but you will continue it for 2010 batukamma.
July 26, 2010 at 12:21 pm