HMTV to organise mega Bathukamma Samburam on Oct 1

Hyderabad: It's time to celebrate Mother Goddess in a happy and joyous manner after two years of pandemic. Celebrations for the annual Bathukamma festival have begun on a gala note across the state. Joining in the festivities, HMTV, the 24-hour Telugu news channel, has organised a mega event on October 1.

The mega Bathukamma Samburam will be held at LB Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, October 1. About 10,000 people are likely to attended and participate in the Mega event, including the who's who of Hyderabad. The celebrations will begin at 4 pm.

With the pandemic behind us, there is great enthusiasm among people to celebrate the festival this year. "The main purpose of organising the Great Gala event is to usher in positive vibes during the popular festival, said N Lakshmi Rao, CEO of HMTV.

The nine-day Bathukamma festival began on Sunday with "Engilipoola Bathukamma", one of the variants of the festival of flowers that women celebrate ahead of Dasara. The festival will end with "Saddula Bathukamma" on October 3.

Bathukamma means 'Mother Goddess come alive' and the festival represents the cultural spirit of Telangana, symbolizing the patron Goddess of womanhood. The festival is also regarded as the Spring Festival of Goddess Gauri. Bathukamma festival is a floral festival and during the festival, a beautiful flower stack is arranged in a unique style in shape of a temple, which usually consists of seasonal flowers, having medicinal values.

People also make flower rangoli on all days. It is also an occasion for families to meet and celebrate the festival with joy.

There are several legends surrounding the festival, but the common thread is the worship of the Mother Goddess. One of the beliefs is that it is celebrated to thank Goddess Parvati for her benevolence in terms of good agricultural produce and income and to seek her blessings for the next year. It is also believed that the festival asks for the return of the Goddess and is dedicated to Goddess Parvati.