Bathukamma
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2020) |
| Bathukamma బతుకమ్మ | |
|---|---|
 Bathukamma | |
| Official name | Batukamma |
| Type | Floral(flower) Festival of Gauri |
| Celebrations | 9 days |
| Observances | |
| Begins | Pitru Amavasya |
| 2023 date | 14 Oct (Sat) – 22 Oct (Sun) |
| Frequency | Annual |
Bathukamma is a
In Telugu, ‘Bathukamma' means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’. Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of a temple gopuram. It is usually brothers who bring flowers to their mother and sisters to arrange bathukamma.
Historically, Bathukamma meant "the festival of life". It also marks the celebration of femininity in the Deccan region, during which women of Telangana dress up in traditional saris, with jewels and other accessories. Teenage Girls wear Langa-Oni/Half-Sarees/Lehenga Choli with jewels in order to bring out the traditional grace of the attire.
9 Nights of Bathukamma
- Day 1: Engili pula Bathukamma[4]
- Day 2: Atukula Bathukamma
- Day 3: Muddapappu Bathukamma
- Day 4: Nanabiyyam Bathukamma
- Day 5: Atla Bathukamma
- Day 6: Aligina Bathukamma or (Alaka bhathukamma)
- Day 7: Vepakayala Bathukamma
- Day 8: Vennela muddala Bathukamma
- Day 9: Saddhula Bathukamma
Bathukamma represents cultural spirit of Telangana. It, along with the festivals of Bonalu, Sammakka Saralamma Jatara gained increased significance during the Telangana movement as a marker of the region's separate cultural identity from Andhra Pradesh, and its celebration has become much more prominent with the secession of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh in 2014.[5][6][7]
Chalukyas of Vemulavada
Even now the similarities between the Shivalinga of Vemulavaada Bheemeshwaralayam and Shivalinga of Brihadeeswaralayam of Tanjavuru can be seen. Taking away the Shivalinga from Vemulavaada to Tanjavuru downhearted people of the Kingdom. After leaving the Kingdom, in the form of Linga, along with an attempt to console Paarvathi (Bruhadamma) in the temple here and to inform sorrowfulness to Cholas, Batukamma is arranged with flowers like Meru mountain. On its top Gouramma made with turmeric is placed and is recounted with sing and play for nine days. Dispatching her in water and calling her back took a shape of a festival.
Preparation
Men in the house gather flowers
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.
The songs are to invoke the blessings of various goddesses.
Each day has a name mainly signifying the type of "naivedyam" (food offering) offered. Most of the naivedyam 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.[8]
- 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).
- 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)
- 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)
- Nanabiyyam Bathukamma: The fourth day falls on thidiya/third day of Ashwayuja masam.
Food offering/Naivedyam: nananesina biyyam (wet rice), milk, and bellam (jaggery)
- Atla Bathukamma: The fifth day falls on the chaturthi/fourth day of Ashwayuja masam.
Food offering/Naivedyam: uppidi pindi atlu (pan cakes made from wheatlets), or Dosa
- Aligina Bathukamma: The sixth day falls on the panchami/fifth day of Ashwayuja masam.
No food offering is made.
- Vepakayala Bathukamma: The seventh day falls on the shashti/sixth day of Ashwayuja masam.
Food offering/Naivedyam: rice flour shaped into the fruits of neem tree is deepfried.
- 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)
- 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
For 9 days of festival each day a Nivedyam or a special dish sattu is prepared and offered to the goddess. General 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.
Background
| Part of a series on |
| Hinduism |
|---|
 |
Bathukamma means ‘come back to life mother’ and it is an asking for Goddess Sati to return. Legend has it that Sati returned as Goddess Parvati and therefore the festival is also dedicated to Goddess Parvati.[10]
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 'Ashwayuja Padyami', due to fatigue. The devotees prayed to her to wake up, and she woke up on the Dashami.
The other being Bathukamma, as the daughter of the 'Chola' King 'Dharmangada' and 'Satyavati'. The king and queen lost their 100 sons in the battlefield and prayed to Goddess Lakshmi to be born in their house, as their child. Goddess Lakshmi heard their sincere prayers and chose to oblige them. When Lakshmi was born in the royal palace, all the sages came to bless her and they blessed her with immortality "Bathukamma or Live Forever". Since then Bathukamma festival is celebrated by young girls in Telangana. The purpose of this festival is to pray to the Goddess in the belief that the young girls would get husbands as per their wish, to teach the young girls how to take care of their in-laws, their husbands, be great women who respect elders, love people around them, be guides to their younger ones. Further, married women celebrate the festival to pray to the Goddess for good health and prosperity of their families.
Bathukamma or 'Shakthi', according to one legend, is a lover of flowers. Flowers are arranged on a square wooden plank or a square bamboo frame with the size of frames tapering off to form a pinnacle on top. They resemble the shape of a temple 'Gopura'. Gauramma (a symbolic idol of Gowri made of turmeric) is placed on top of the flowers. This little floral mountain is worshipped as Goddess Bathukamma.
This festival is celebrated with joy and gaiety. During these celebrations, there are dance performances, music, dramas and a variety of entertainments as thousands of tourists and locals too, flock to witness the happenings. 'Jataras' are also held during this month long celebrations.
References
Notes
- ^ "Bathukamma festival begins in Telangana". Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ Chinese guests to serve Telangana’s flavour this Bathukamma.
- ^ "Bathukamma 2017: Know how the festival is celebrated in Telangana,Maharashtra and Karnataka". The Financial Express. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Velugu, V6 (28 September 2019). "Significance Of Engili Pula Bathukamma". V6 Velugu (in Telugu).
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ISBN 978-0-429-53564-2.
- ^ Like Tilak, we'll promote culture to cement our Telangana identity
- ^ "Bathukamma Essence". telanganatourism.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Bathukamma festival begins in Telangana: All you need to know". India Today. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ India, The Hans (18 October 2015). "Bruhathamma Brathukamma Bathukamma". www.thehansindia.com.
- ^ Bathukamma - Telangana's Floral Festival is here
Sources
- http://www.telangana.org/Bathukamma/Bathukamma_BayArea.htm
- A journey through change (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2005/02/22/stories/2005022200770300.htm). The Hindu, 22 February 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- Savouring Telangana flavour in the US http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Savouring-Telangana-flavour-in-the-US/article14849697.ece
- Joys of cooking (https://web.archive.org/web/20131015105412/http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article799015.ece), The Hindu, 27 September 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- "Goddess Gauri" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071216181412/http://www.csuohio.edu/hindu/Gauri.htm%29.
- Grand finale to Bathukamma (http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/19/stories/2007101958130300.htm Archived 7 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine), The Hindu, 19 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
External links
- Bathukamma Official site
- The festival of Flowers Archived 6 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- The Hindu feature
- DJ Bathukamma Song 2018 on YouTubeHmtv