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Bathukamma festival starts on a colourful note
The nine-day festival of flowers, ‘Bathukamma’ got underway on a colourful note across the district on Wednesday.
Warangal: The nine-day festival of flowers, ‘Bathukamma’ got underway on a colourful note across the district on Wednesday.
At the twilight hour, the streets across the tri-cities of Warangal-Hanamkonda-Kazipet have come alive with thousands women of all ages and girls joining the celebration in their best attire. All the temples in the city witnessed assemblage of women celebrating the festival.
A special event was held at the historic Thousand Pillar Temple and Bhadrakali Temple, marking the first day of Bathukamma festival celebrated as Engili pula Bathukamma. Three generations of women, grandmothers, mothers and their children took part in the celebration.
Women carrying flowers of different colours beautifully arranged like a ‘Gopuram’ on plates with earthen lamps and incense sticks burning atop and singing praise of Goddess Kali have amplified the spiritual ambiance at the temple.
People from different places arrive in Warangal to witness the Bathukamma festival at Thousand Pillar Temple, the main location where the women assemble in large numbers to celebrate the event in its splendour.
“I have been celebrating the festival since my childhood and never missed it. The celebration of Bathukamma is an integral part of Telangana culture since ages,” said an elder woman called G Sammakka of Hanamkonda.
Large scale Bathukamma celebrations have also taken place at Fort Warangal, Kashibugga and Potana Nagar, Sammaiah Nagar in the town. At Sammaiah Nagar the DCC president N Rajender Reddy released a Bathukamma songs CD produced by Sammaiah Nagar Cultural Forum.
Meanwhile, the flower sellers in the town have had a brisk business in view of Bathukamma celebration. Besides traditionally used flowers, the sellers are selling all varieties of flowers that could be used to arrange Bathukamma.
On the other hand, the town-based Bala Vikasa social service organisation has organised with a unique Bathukamma celebration at Mettugutta Temple at Madikonda, where nearly 200 widows celebrated the festival.
Bala Vikasa founder Bala Theresa Gingras and its executive director S Showry Reddy told The Hans India that the celebration is an effort to end discrimination displayed towards widows in the society.
‘Traditionally widows are kept away from celebrating Bathukamma. By organising the event we wish to change the mindset of people at grassroots level to allow a widow live a normal and dignified life after the death of her husband,’ they said.
