Bathukamma off to a colourful start across Telangana; Governor greets people

Hyderabad: Bathukamma celebrations have begun in Telangana on Sunday. The Bathukamma celebrations will be celebrated for nine days. A nine-day-long festival was celebrated by women with great pomp.  

‘Bathukamma’ means 'Goddess of Life' and is celebrated during Dasara. The state festival is being celebrated in a grand manner across Telangana from September 25 to October 3. The main celebrations will be held on October 3, which will be celebrated as ‘Saddula Bathukamma’.

During the nine-day annual festival, women and girls sing and dance around specially arranged flowers. At the end of the festival, they immerse the specially arranged flowers called ‘Bathukamma’ in local ponds. Ever since the formation of Telangana state in 2014, Bathukamma has been celebrated as the state festival.

Governor Soundararajan and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao greeted people on the commencement of Bathukamma. The Governor said that Bathukamma is a very special festival associated with mother nature and essentially is a celebration of life by women of Telangana.

The colourful seasonal wildflowers used to make ‘Bathukamma’ have the medicinal properties to cleanse the water bodies filled to the brim with the copious rains during the season, she said in her message. ‘Bathukamma’ is a tribute to Telangana culture and traditions wherein women offer prayers to the Goddess Gauri in the form of ‘Bathukamma’, she said.

Chief Minister's daughter and MLC K Kavitha conveyed her wishes to people and released the posters of Bathukamma celebrations in various countries. This year, ‘Bathukamma’ will be celebrated in eight countries globally and Telangana Jagruthi headed by Kavitha will host the respective events. Bathukamma went global last year after showcasing it on the world's largest screen at Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building in Dubai.