Bathukamma Festival

Bathukamma Festival

Bathukamma Festival has been declared as Telangana State Festival since it is an important cultural event where in large number of people, particularly women participate with devotional fervor.

Bathukamma is floral festival celebrated by the women folk of Telangana. Every year this festival is celebrated as per Telugu version of Hindu calendar in the Bhadrapada Amavasya, also known as Mahalaya Amavasya, usually in September–October of Gregorian calendar. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri. It starts on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the 9-day festivities will culminate on "Saddula Bathukamma" or "Pedda Bathukamma" festival on Ashwayuja Ashtami, popularly known as Durgashtami which is two days before Dussehra. Bathukamma is followed by Boddemma, which is a 7-day festival. Boddemma festival that marks the ending of Varsha Ruthu whereas Bathukamma festival indicates the beginning of Sarad or Sharath Ruthu.

HISTORY:

Bathukamma means “come back to life-Mother” and requesting Goddess Sati to return back. As per the legend, Sati returns as Goddess Parvati and hence the festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvati.

There are many myths behind this festival. According to one myth Goddess gauri killed ‘Mahishasura’ the demon after a fierce fight. After this act, she went to sleep on the ‘Aswayuja Padyami’, due to fatigue. The devotees prayed to her to wake up, and she woke up on the Dasami.

The legend of Bathukamma Panduga is mentioned is one of the historical texts scripted in Telugu. Centuries ago, King Dharmangada of Chola Dynasty used to rule South India. He was childless for many years after marriage. After performance pujas amd rituals, his wife gave birth to Goddess Lakshmi.

Baby Lakshmi survived many accidents. So, her parents named her Bathukamma (Bathuku = life, Amma = Suffix to female names and mother). Since then, Bathukamma festival is celebrated by young girls in Telangana region. The main purpose of this festival is to worship the Goddess in the belief that the young girls would get husbands as per their wish.

There is another legend or katha about Bathukamma mentioned in Telugu books. Daksha performed a yagna and invited everyone but for his youngest daughter, Gauri, who married to Lord Shiva against his wish. Inspite of this, she attended the yagna along with Lord Shiva and was insulted. She was unable to tolerate the insult and sacrificed her life by setting herself ablaze. In order to bring her back to life, the women folk present her with flowers, make turmeric idol of the Goddess and sing and dance around the idol of Bathukamma.

Bathukamma represents cultural spirit of Telangana, Bathukamma is beautiful stack of flowers, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of temple gopuram. In Telugu, “Bathukamma” means “Mother Godess comes Alive” and Goddess Maha Gauri-“Life Giver” is worshipped in the form of  Bathukamma – the patron goddess of womanhood, Maha Gauri Devi.

It is the festival for feminine felicitation. On the special occasion, women dress up in the traditional saree decked up with jewels and other accessories. Teenage Girls Langa-Oni/Half Sarees/Lehenga choli with jewels in order to bring out the traditional grace of the attire.

On the tenth day, Bathukamma is immersed in the water which is taken in a procession where the women folk are decked up in their traditional attire & they dance & sing which is a beautiful site for the spectators as the entire ambience is full of festive and celebrated with fervor. Women exchange the traditional sindoors or the long red vertical mark that is applied on the foreheads that denotes the long life

PREPARATION:

On first five days women will clean their vakili (courtyard), cow dung mixed with water is spread in the courtyard as a ground-base, decorate the ground-base with managala aakara or muggu patterns or rangoli made of rice flour. For the first five days Batukamma is prepared with cow dung. Five small lumps in cone shape are arranged in the vakili.

Men in the house gather flowers from the wild plains like Celosia, Senna, Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Indian Lotus, Cucurbita leaves & flowers, Cucumis Sativus leaves & flowers, Memecylon edule, Tridax procumbens, Trachyspermum ammi, Katla, Teku Flowers, etc., which bloom in this season in various vibrant colors all across the uncultivated and barren plains of the region.

Preparing a Bathukamma is a folk art. Women start preparing Bathukamma from the afternoon. They cut the flowers leaving the little length base, some dip Gunugu (Celosia) flowers in various vibrant colours, some scented and arrange them on a wide plate called Thambalam spread with big leaves, and stack them up in a conical mound, filling the cone with leaves and stems of the flower stalks, decorated with a Lotus or Pumpkin Flower on top of the stack along with Gouramma (a symbolic idol of Gowri made of turmeric). One interesting aspect of the preparation of the flower arrangement is that the arrangement usually floats in water for sometime, and the arrangement is not disassembled until it drowns in water.

THE RITUAL:

For the nine days, in the evening, women, especially young girls, gather in large numbers with their Bathukammas in open areas of their locality. All women will form a circle around the Bathukamma and start singing folk songs by clapping their hands and revolving around the Bathukamma, synchronizing steps and claps in unison provide a splendorous look to the festivities. Women seek good health, prosperity and happiness for their families. The songs are to invoke the blessings of various goddesses. By principle, the rendition end with any one of the following three tributes Uyyaala - ఉయ్యాల, Chandamama - చందమామ or Gouramma - గౌరమ్మ.

Each day has a name mainly signifying the type of "naivedyam" (food offering) offered. Most of the naivedyam (food offering) offered are very simple to prepare, and usually young children or young girls are mainly involved in the preparation of the offerings for the first eight days of the festival. The last day, called saddula Bathukamma is when all the women take part in the preparation. Following is the list of names for each day and the naivedyam offered on that day.

1) Engili pula Bathukamma- The first day of the festival falls on Mahalaya Amavasya, also known as Pethara Amavasya in Telangana region. Food offering/Naivedyam: Nuvvulu(Sesame seeds) with biyyampindi(rice flour) or nookalu(coarsely ground wet rice).

2) Atkula Bathukamma: The second day is called Atkula bathukamma, falls on the Padyami(first day) of Ashwayuja masam. Food offering/Naivedyam: Sappidi pappu(Bland boiled lentils), bellam(jaggery), and atkulu (flattened parboiled rice)

3) Muddapappu Bathukamma: The third day of Bathukamma falls on Vidiya/second day of Ashwayuja masam. Food offering/Naivedyam: muddapappu (softened boiled lentils), milk and bellam(jaggery)

4) Nanabiyyam Bathukamma: The fourth day falls on thidiya/third day of Ashwayuja masam. Food offering/Naivedyam: nananesina biyyam(wet rice), milk, and bellam(jaggery)

5) Atla Bathukamma: The fifth day falls on the chathurdi/fourth day of Ashwayuja masam. Food offering/Naivedyam: uppidi pindi atlu( pan cakes made from wheatlets), or Dosa

6) Aligina Bathukamma: The sixth day falls on the panchami/fifth day of Ashwayuja masam. No food offering is made.

7) Vepakayala Bathukamma: The seventh day falls on the sashti/sixth day of Ashwayuja masam. Food offering/Naivedyam: riceflour shaped into the fruits of neem tree is deepfried.

8) Vennamuddala Bathukamma: The eight day falls on sapthami/seventh day of Ashwayuja masam. Food offering/Naivedyam: nuvvulu(sesame), Venna(Butter) or ghee(clarified butter), and bellam(jaggery)

9) Saddula Bathukamma: The ninth day of bathukamma is celebrated on ashtami/eight day of Ashwayuja masam, and coincides with Durgashtami. Food offering/Naivedyam: Five types of cooked rice dishes: perugannam saddi(curd rice), chinthapandu pulihora saddi(tamarind rice), nimmakaya saddi(lemon rice), kobbara saddi(coconut rice) and nuvvula saddi(sesame rice)

SADDULA BATHUKAMMA

This festival is celebrated for nine days and concludes on Durgastami. The last day of the festival is called Saddula Bathukamma. On this final day immersion of Bathukamma (Bathukamma Visarjan) in water bodies is celebrated with utmost devotion and enthusiasm with rhythmic drum beats throughout Telangana. The evening offers a beautiful, calming and a peaceful visual treat. Guramma (a symbolic idol of Gowri made of turmeric) is taken back from Bathukamma before immersion and every married woman applies a paste of this, on her Mangala sutra that marks the solemnization of her marriage and also her husband is protected from all evils and ill fate.

For 9 days of festival each day a Nivedyam or a special dish is prepared and offered to the goddess. Generally ingredients of the dishes are Corn (మొక్క జొన్నలు), Sorghum (జొన్నలు), Bajra (సజ్జలు), Black Gram (మినుములు), Bengal Gram (శనగలు), Green Gram (పెసర్లు), Ground Nuts (పల్లి), Sesame (నువ్వులు), Wheat (గోధుమలు), Rice (బియ్యము), Cashew Nut (Kaju), Jaggery (బెల్లం), Milk (పాలు) etc. Maleeda - a combination of Roti and Jaggery, is prepared on this day and distributed at the end of the event.