Batukamma

Infobox Holiday
holiday_name = Batukamma
type = Spring festival of Goddess Gauri


caption =
official_name =
nickname =
observedby = Hindu women of Telangana
begins = Aswiyuja
ends = Durgashtami
date = September/October
date2006 =
date2007 =
celebrations = 7 days
observances =
relatedto = Dussehra

Batukamma is a spring festival celebrated by the women of Telangana region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. This festival usually is in the months of September/October called as "Aswiyuja", concludes two days before Dussera called as "Durgashtami".

The name Batukamma is given to a flower stack, arranged with seasonal flowers, usually in seven concentric layers, of potter’s clay like a cone.

"Batuku" in Telugu means live/life, and "Amma" means mother, hence "Batukamma". Batukamma celebrates the glory of Gauri goddess (meaning fair or white) - the patron Goddess of womanhood [http://www.csuohio.edu/hindu/Gauri.htm] .

Women celebrate this festival dressed-up in traditional silk sarees, wear jewellery and girls wear a two-piece saree called as Langa oni.

The Ritual

In the evenings, women gather different seasonal flowers, dip in colours, some scented and arrange them on a wide plate called as "tambalamu", stack them up in a conical mound.

Later they gather in large numbers with their batukammas in their locality, place them in the middle and dance around them, synchronizing steps and claps in unison, and singing soul stirring batukamma folk songs. After singing and dancing, Batukammalu are set afloat in a lake or a pond nearby.

This festival goes on for seven days and concludes on "Durgastami". The main festival day is called "Saddula Batukamma". On this day they celebrate into wee hours before leaving their Batukamma in water. This Festival celebration is having huge craze in SIDDIPET town where all the families will celebrate the last day of the festival in towns big lake "Kommati Cheruvu".

Lakes floating with batukammas in the evenings is a treat to the eyes."Maleeda", a prasadam made of jaggery, is prepared on this day and distributed after the event.

External links

* [http://www.telangana.org/Bathukamma/Batukamma.htm The festival of Flowers]
* [http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/10/21/stories/2004102100970100.htm The Hindu feature]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQqWbChGedI Batukamma video on YouTube]
* [http://sadhanablog.blogspot.com/2006/10/bathkamma-bathkamma-uyyalo.html A blog on Batukmma]