Bathukamma, a vibrant and joyous festival from the Telugu tradition, celebrates the divine feminine in the form of Goddess Gauri, an embodiment of nature’s beauty and power. This nine-day festival is a symbol of devotion, renewal, and celebration of life, primarily marked by women coming together to create flower arrangements called "Bathukamma." In 2024, the festival started on October 1 and will culminate on October 9.

Bathukamma 2024: Start and End Dates

This year, Bathukamma began on 1st October 2024, marking the start of nine days of celebrations in the month of Ashwin (Ashwayujamu) according to the Telugu calendar. The festival will conclude on 9th October, with the grand celebration of Saddula Bathukamma, coinciding with Durga Ashtami, an auspicious day during the Sharad Navaratri festival celebrated across India.

Significance of Bathukamma Festival

The Bathukamma festival holds deep spiritual and cultural significance for the Telugu-speaking people. It is a celebration of Goddess Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva, who is revered as a symbol of fertility, prosperity, and womanhood. The festival is believed to invoke the blessings of the goddess for a good harvest, health, and overall well-being of the family. It also symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, represented by the blooming and wilting of the flowers used in the Bathukamma arrangements.

Bathukamma Rituals and Traditions

Bathukamma is primarily celebrated by women, who gather each day during the festival to create intricate, colorful flower stacks in a conical shape, known as Bathukamma. These arrangements consist of seasonal flowers like marigold, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, and wildflowers, carefully stacked layer upon layer.

Each day of the festival is marked by different rituals:

• Engili Pula Bathukamma – The first day marks the making of small Bathukammas with offerings of flowers and traditional food items to the goddess.
• Atukula Bathukamma – On the second day, women offer dishes made of rice and lentils.
• Muddapappu Bathukamma – The third day sees offerings of cooked lentils and jaggery.
• Nanabiyyam Bathukamma – The fourth day involves the use of soaked rice.
• Atla Bathukamma – On the fifth day, women make small pancakes as offerings.
• Aligina Bathukamma – On the sixth day, the focus is on rice flour offerings.
• Vepakayala Bathukamma – The seventh day involves neem leaves and flowers in the ritual.
• Venna Muddala Bathukamma – The eighth day sees offerings of butter.
• Saddula Bathukamma – The ninth and final day marks the grand culmination of the festival. Women gather in large numbers to immerse their Bathukammas in water bodies, a ritual symbolizing the return of the goddess to her eternal abode.

Cultural and Social Significance

The festival serves as a means to bond communities, as women of all ages come together, singing traditional songs and performing rituals. The immersion of Bathukamma at the end of the festival symbolizes the return of the goddess to nature, a reminder of the cyclical nature of life and the impermanence of existence.

Bathukamma is celebrated with great fervor not only in Telangana but also in parts of Andhra Pradesh and among the Telugu diaspora worldwide. It coincides with the national celebration of Sharad Navaratri, which further strengthens the cultural unity in diversity across India.

As Bathukamma 2024 comes to an end on 9th October, the festival once again reminds us of the beauty of life, nature, and the power of women. It is a time to rejoice, seek the blessings of the goddess, and honor the cultural heritage that binds communities together.