Bathukamma 2022 Start Date in Telangana: Know Origin, Significance and Ways of Celebrating the Crop Harvest Festival With Flowers for Worshipping Goddess Gauri | ???????? LatestLY

Bathukamma is a nine-day festival celebrated between September and October by people in the Indian state of Telangana and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Its dates coincide with the grand festival of Shardiya Navratri being celebrated in the northern states at the same time. It is known as the festival of life and Bathukamma generally means “Mother Goddess comes alive.” It honours Goddess Gauri for blessing the crop harvest and for all the fortunes of that year. This festival is usually celebrated at the end of the monsoon season to pay tribute to everything that nature has to offer. It starts off with preparing all the offerings that need to be made during the nine-day festivities and it has become a huge part of the state’s cultural identity. Know all about the dates, origin of the festivities, significance and ways to celebrate Bathukamma 2022 in Telangana. Telangana Formation Day 2022 Date & History: Know Significance and Celebrations Related to Telangana Day.

When is Bathukamma 2022?

The nine-day festival will commence on September 25 this year and will be observed till October 3. Each day of the festival has its own name and different activities are followed on each day. The first day is Engili pula Bathukamma, which is followed by Atkula Bathukamma, Muddapappu Bathukamma, Nanabiyyam Bathukamma, Atla Bathukamma, Aligina Bathukamma, Vepakayala Bathukamma, Vennamuddala Bathukamma and the final day, Saddula Bathukamma.

Origins and History of Bathukamma Festival

The origins of this festival have plenty of stories associated with it. The most important one is about King Dharmangada, who ruled the Chola Dynasty in south India and he lost a hundred sons in battle. The king and his wife then prayed to Goddess Lakshmi for one more child, and they were soon blessed with a baby daughter, who was named Lakshmi, which is also the reason the festival of Bathukamma or ‘Mother Goddess come alive’ is celebrated. It was also believed that baby Lakshmi liked flowers, which is why this festival is celebrated with flowers. Another legend believes that after the fierce battle with Mahishasura, Goddess Gauri fell into a deep sleep due to fatigue and the medicinal flowers in this festival are offered to the Goddess to wake her up from her deep slumber.

Significance of Bathukamma

Bathukamma is a celebration of nature and thus flowers are used in this festival for their vibrancy and symbolism and because they symbolise changing seasons. It’s also a harvest festival to express gratitude for all the blessings of mother nature. It symbolises the collective spirit of the people of Telangana and involves the worship of Goddess Gauri with flowers to pray for the health and achievements of the families. It is celebrated on a grand scale by Hindu women and young girls, and the young girls even pray to the goddess for the choice of a good husband during this festival.

How is Bathukamma Celebrated?

During this festival, women dress up in traditional and colourful sarees and prepare Bathukamma stacks of flowers in seven concentric layers in the shape of a temple. Some of the flowers that are used during these festivities are Celosia, Senna, Marigold, Lotus, Cucurbita and Cucumis, which are in full bloom during this season. Women also form a circle and sing a folk song while clapping their hands and walking in synchronised steps. This performance invokes the blessings of Goddess Gauri for the good health and prosperity of their families. People also prepare Malida laddoos, which are a speciality during this festival. On the last day of Bathukamma (Saddula Bathukamma), the flower stacks are all taken to the river for immersion.

Women prepare for the festival with utmost excitement by cleaning their houses and drawing rangoli. This festival is all about colour and celebrations to appreciate nature in all its glorious forms and the arrangement of flower stacks is enjoyed by everyone. May the festival of Bathukamma 2022 bring a lot of health and prosperity to your lives!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2022 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).