Bathukamma , the annual festival of flowers ahead of Dasara, and unique only to Telangana region in the country, was off to a colourful start across the State on Monday.
The nine-day festival celebrated to offer prayers to Goddess Gowri in the form of flowers will conclude on October 20 with the arrangement of tallest Bathukammas of the festival, before floating them in the water bodies.
State festival
The festival, which was reduced only to rural areas of Telangana, particularly during the last two decades due to cultural invasion, regained its popularity and even spread to urban areas along with the movement for statehood to Telangana, particularly after 2009. It is now a State festival after the TRS came to power though the previous Congress Government conferred official status to it in 2013.
The festival assumed greater proportions with its celebration in every nook and corner since last year. The State Government has released Rs.10 crore each for the festival in 2014 and 2015 and has declared public holiday on the first and last days of the festival.
Telangana Jagruthi, the cultural wing of TRS, has popularised the festival on a large-scale in recent years and it has been spearheading the celebrations State-wide.
Large-scale celebrations
The cultural outfit is organising the festival in the name of ‘Bangaru Bathukamma’ on a mass-scale from October 12 to 20 starting from Narsampet in Warangal district. It has also decided to hold it at Husnabad (Karimnagar), Kamareddy (Nizamabad), Koudipally (Medak), Vikarabad (Ranga Reddy), Kothakota (Mahabubnagar), Mumbai, Devarakonda (Nalgonda) and Tank Bund here during the period.
Every year, the festival begins on ‘Bhadrapada or Mahalaya Amavasya’ day as per the Telugu calendar and concludes on ‘Navami’, a day before Vijayadasami, with the celebration of Saddula Bathukamma when a major congregation of women is seen in villages and water bodies.
The final event in Hyderabad is held in the form of a procession from Lal Bahadur stadium to Tank Bund.
