Bathukamma ( Telangana Festival ) 2010

Batukamma is a spring festival celebrated by the Hindu women of Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, India.
This festival falls in the months of September/October and concludes two days before Dussera.

Batukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with seasonal flowers, in seven concentric layers like a cone.
As Bathukamma is festival of flowers they use only those flowers which does not harm any vegetation.

Batuku in Telugu means live/life, and Amma means mother, hence Batukamma, is celebrated for the glory of Gauri goddess - the patron Goddess of womanhood.




In the evening, women dress up in traditional sarees wear jewellery and gather in large numbers with their batukammas in nearby temple or lake,place them in the middle and dance around them,synchronizing steps and claps,Singing soul stirring batukamma folk songs.They play kolattam .(kolattam is played with two sticks in their hands and play along with the song to syncronize)

Batukammas are taken to a lake or a pond and spend some more time singing and dancing and are set afloat in the water .

As it is 9 days festival they prepare 9 different varieties on each day and last day of bathukamma.
Listed are few items which we prepare for Saddulu Bathukamma
Pulihora (Tamarind rice),Karapu annam (Red Chilly Rice),Perugu annam(Curd Rice),Nuvvu annam(Sesame seeds Rice),Kobbari annam(Coconut Rice)
Pindi Muddalu (Rice flour ladoo),Nuvvu undalu(Sesame seeds ladoo),Palli undalu (Peanuts ladoo),Suniundalu (Urad dal ladoo)
Minapa undalu(Moong dal ladoo),Sattu pindi (Corn with jaggery),Cucumber.