Telangana: Bye bye Bathukamma, see you next year …!

Hyderabad: A festive mood has been observed among the people of Telangana, as Bathukamma festivities returned in the pre-pandemic times. After being a low-fete celebration owing to the pandemic in the past two years, Telangana's cultural festival 'Saddula Bathukamma' has been revived this year and ended on a grand note in the city, with Tank Bund and other water bodies being the main attraction of the celebrations.

Bathukamma is observed during the Durga Navaratri period and ends two days before Dasara, from Mahalaya Amavasya to Durgashtami, known as 'Saddula Bathukamma'. This nine-day colourful Bathukamma festival culminated on Monday. Saddula Bathukamma festival is the cultural tradition of Telangana and its pride. Bathukammas are beautiful flower stacks, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers, most of them with medicinal values in concentric layers in the shape of temple Gopuram.

The festival is celebrated mainly by women and girls and is marked by them making flower shrines in honor of Bathukamma as 'Gauramma'. Bathukamma shrines are surrounded by women singing and dancing. Thousands of girl and women dressed in traditional attire performed Bathukamma to traditional songs of the state festival in LB Stadium and other parts of the city and tonnes of flowers were immersed in the Bathukamma Ghat on the Tank Bund road and other water bodies across the city.

At least 20,000 women and girls were gathered at Tank Bund for the celebrations. The Tank Bund saw fireworks lasting for about 10-15 minutes marking the last day of the festival. Colourful laser lighting along with other extensive arrangements marked a tribute to the State festival.

A series of cultural programmes by the tourism department was organised at the Tank Bund which received praises from all. The entire Hussain Sagar area was decorated with lights and flowers. Apart from Tank Bund, Saddula Bathukamma was organised in a befitting manner in many colonies in the city.

A colourful rally with women carrying Bathukammas was taken out from LB Stadium towards Tank Bund Road. Over 3,000 women carry flower-bedecked deity on their heads in a procession up to Hussain Sagar for immersion, Minister V Srinivas Goud, Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi also participated. The corporation has set up 74 baby ponds to facilitate immersion of Bathukamma and Durga idols later.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao extended greetings to people of Telangana on the occasion of 'Saddula Bathukamma', the last day of the State festival - Bathukamma. The CM said villages and towns are filled with a unique cultural atmosphere, surrounded by the beautiful nature of ponds with copious water, green crop fields in the nine-day-long dance festivities by girls and boys.

KCR said the steps taken by the government to celebrate the Bathukamma festival, which culminates in welcoming the auspicious Vijaya Dasami, have been successful. He thanked everyone who contributed to the successful conduct of celebrations. The CM prayed to Goddess to bless the State with prosperity and all people to live happily and peacefully.