Make Bhakti Bharat Your Preferred Source on Google

🐅Bathukamma - बथुकम्मा

Updated: Sep 25, 2026 17:27 PM | About | Related Information | Read Also

Bathukamma Date: Saturday, 10 October 2026

Bathukamma is a nine-day floral festival of Telangana, celebrated primarily by women during Navaratri/Dussehra. It is one of Telangana's most distinctive cultural festivals, celebrating womanhood, nature, seasonal flowers, community spirit, and devotion to Goddess Gauri. The term 'Bathukamma' literally means \"Mother Goddess, come alive.\" The festival is associated with Goddess Gauri (Maha Gauri), who is revered as the life-giving form of the Goddess.

History and Significance of the Bathukamma Festival
The Bathukamma festival is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of Telangana. It offers a significant opportunity for women and girls to come together, sing traditional songs, and celebrate collectively. Traditionally, Bathukamma is celebrated over nine days; it begins around Mahalaya Amavasya and concludes with 'Saddula Bathukamma,' which falls shortly before Dussehra.

This festival also has an environmental aspect. Bathukamma is celebrated when seasonal wildflowers bloom after the monsoon. According to Telangana culture, this festival reflects the bond between the earth, water, and the people.

According to popular traditional lore, there was a king and a queen who had lost their hundred sons in a war. They prayed to Goddess Lakshmi to bless them with a daughter. Pleased by their devotion, Goddess Lakshmi was born to them as a daughter. She was named Bathukamma, which means \"Live, O child.\" According to tradition, she was associated with beauty and flowers, and the women of the household began worshipping her with flowers.

Another religious belief associates Bathukamma with Goddess Gauri (or Maha Gauri), who is regarded as the life-giving form of the Goddess and a symbol of feminine power and auspiciousness. These traditions indicate that Bathukamma is deeply connected to life, fertility, womanhood, prosperity, and the beauty of nature.

Names of the nine days of the Bathukamma festival:
1 Engili Pula Bathukamma
2 Atukula Bathukamma
3 Muddappu Bathukamma
4 Naney Biyyam Bathukamma
5 Atala Bathukamma
6 Aligina Bathukamma
7 Vepakayala Bathukamma
8 Venna Muddala Bathukamma
9 Saddula Bathukamma

How is the Bathukamma festival celebrated?
Flowers are arranged in concentric circular layers, creating a colorful, pyramid-like floral structure. Traditionally, this is placed on a *tambalam* (brass plate). Worship of the prepared Bathukamma takes place in the evening. Women traditionally wear colorful sarees and jewelry, while girls may wear *langa-voni* or traditional festive attire. They gather around the Bathukamma, form a circle, sing folk songs, and move rhythmically around the floral arrangement while clapping.

Key flowers include:
❀ Tangedu Puvvu – Tanner's Cassia
❀ Gunugu Puvvu – Celosia
❀ Banthi Puvvu – Marigold
❀ Chemanthi Puvvu – Chrysanthemum
❀ Nandi-vardhanam – Commonly associated with white flowers
❀ Gummadi Puvvu – Pumpkin flowers
❀ Other locally available seasonal flowers

The various *Naivedyam* (food offerings) prepared on the days of the festival:
1 Engili Pula Bathukamma – Sesame seed and rice offering
2 Atukula Bathukamma – Flattened rice (*Atukula*/*Poha*) offering
3 Muddappu Bathukamma – Soft-cooked lentil offering
4 Nene Biyyam Bathukamma – Soaked rice offering
5 Atla Bathukamma – Small rice-based pancake/dosa offering
7 Vepakayala Bathukamma (Vepakayalu) – Neem-fruit-shaped fritters offered as *Naivedyam*
8 Venna Muddala Bathukamma – Butter and rice-based *Naivedyam*
9 Saddula Bathukamma – Five varieties of rice-based *Naivedyam*

❀ Women wear traditional attire for the festival.
❀ A special offering (*Naivedyam*) known as 'Saddulu' is prepared.
❀ Women gather around the Bathukamma and sing traditional songs.
❀ Bathukamma is taken in a procession to nearby water bodies.
❀ The floral arrangements are traditionally immersed in ponds, lakes, or other water bodies, marking the conclusion of the festival.
❀ After the prayers, these offerings are distributed among family members and the participants.
❀ The festivities culminate on the grand final day, known as Saddula Bathukamma. The decorated Bathukamma is taken out in a procession and traditionally immersed in nearby ponds, lakes, or other water bodies.

Cultural Significance of the Bathukamma Festival
Bathukamma is not merely a festival of flowers. It reflects the cultural identity of Telangana and provides a platform where different generations come together to participate in traditional songs, food, attire, and customs.

Bathukamma beautifully brings together devotion, women's traditions, seasonal flowers, food, music, agriculture, and the environment. Spanning nine days—from the first day, 'Engili Pula Bathukamma', to the grand 'Saddula Bathukamma'—this festival reflects Telangana's deep connection with nature and its vibrant cultural heritage.