The traditional Bathukamma, the festival of flowers, was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety by women in various parts of Karimnagar town on Monday evening.
Stated to be the biggest festival for women in the Telangana region, they participated in the festival by worshipping Goddess Gauri. The womenfolk, after decorating the Bathukamma by placing various varieties of flowers such as tangedu, gunugu, marigold, chrysanthemum, lotus, etc. on a conical platform, place Goddess Gauri.
Some of the women made Bathukammas of various shapes and sizes like a Shiva lingam, kalasham, Goddess Durga, and decorated and illuminated them by placing lamps. Dressed in their best attire and jewellery, they participated in the celebrations by singing songs by placing Bathukammas at a centre in various localities. Collector Smita Sabharwal also participated in the festivities in Karimnagar town.
After the singing and dancing, they immersed the Bathukammas in the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) reservoir waters in the night. Later, the womenfolk distributed vermillion, turmeric and sweets specially prepared for this festival and prayed to the Goddess to come early next year.
Though the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation authorities claimed to have made elaborate arrangements for the benefit of the women participating in the festival, there were complains of how the womenfolk had to struggle to walk with the Bathukammas on the potholed roads in several of the colonies towards the outskirts such as Baghathnagar, Srinagar Colony, Sapthagiri Colony, Kisannagar etc.
The women blamed the municipal authorities for failing to take up the repairs of damaged roads or filling the potholes with mud. They also found fault with the authorities for not removing bushes in various colonies for the smooth conduct of festival.
Staff Reporter adds: Navaratri was celebrated with gaiety and religious fervour all over the district. The nine-day festival concluded with the celebration of “Sadhula Bathukamma”.
Women in their finery gathered in good strength at several centres and played and sang songs and moved around the ‘bathukammas’ that were placed in the centre. It was played in front of Kanteswar temple, Raghunath tank, at Dubba, Phulong, Jenda Galli and at several other places.
The festival was celebrated under the aegis of the Cultural Affairs Department and it made arrangements for lighting, drinking water and water to put the ‘bathukammas’ into.
