Batukamma : Telangana’s Navratri celebrated as Floral Festival – Significance and Rituals
“Bathukamma” is a colourful floral festival of Telangana and is celebrated by womenfolk with exotic flowers of the region. The festival has over the years became a symbol of Telangana culture and identity. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri. It starts on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the 9-day festivities will culminate on “Saddula Bathukamma” or “Pedda Bathukamma” festival on Durgashtami.
Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of temple gopuram. In Telugu, ‘Bathukamma’ means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’ and Goddess Maha Gauri-‘Life Giver’ is worshipped in the form of Bathukamma – the patron goddess of womanhood, Maha Gauri Devi.
Legend
According to the legend Chola king who won a war against the Vemulavada Chalukya’s (present day Karim nagar) as a sign of victory destroyed the popular RajaRajeswara temple in Vemulawada. And took the Bruhat (huge) Siva linga from the temple to his father as a gift. When Raja Raja Chola had started building a temple to this huge Sivalinga (Brihadeswara) he also announced in Tamil epigraphs that this Brihadeswara temple is built from the wealth looted in the attack on Vemulavaada Chalukya kingdom.
Even now the similarities between the Sivalinga of Vemulavaada Bheemeswaralayam and Sivalinga of Brihadeeswaralayam of Tanjavuru can be seen. Taking away the Sivalinga from Vemulavaada to Tanjavuru downhearted people of Telangana.
After leaving Telangana in the form of Linga, along with an attempt to console Paarvathi (Bruhadamma) in the temple here and to inform sorrowfulness to Cholas, Batukamma is arranged with flowers like Meru mountain. On its top Gouramma made with turmeric is placed and is recounted with sing and play for nine days. Dispatching her in water and calling her back took a shape of a festival. Batukamma name is derived from Bruhadamma. Batukamma festival is a social denouncing movement practiced from 1000 years. Only songs are sung with mother Goddess Parvathi’s name with comforting, who is without shiva..
Rituals
For the nine days woman in Telangana gather in large numbers with their Bathukammas in open areas of their locality. All women will form a circle around the Bathukamma and start singing folk songs by clapping their hands and revolving around the Bathukamma, synchronizing steps and claps in unison provide a splendorous look to the festivities. Women seek good health, prosperity and happiness for their families. The songs are to invoke the blessings of various goddesses. By principle, the rendition end with any one of the following three tributes Uyyaala (Swing) Chandamama (Moon) and Gouramma (Parvathi).
Each day has a name mainly signifying the type of “naivedyam” (food offering) offered. Most of the naivedyam (food offering) offered are very simple to prepare. The last day is called “Saddula Bathukamma”.
Following is the list of names for each day and the naivedyam offered on that day :
Yengili pula Bathukamma – The first day of the festival falls on Mahalaya Amavasya, also known as Pethara Amavasya in Telangana region.
Naivedyam: Nuvvulu(Sesame seeds) with biyyampindi(rice flour) or nookalu(coarsely ground wet rice).
Atkula Bathukamma – The second day is called Atkula bathukamma, falls on the Padyami(first day) of Ashwayuja masam.
Naivedyam: Sappidi pappu(Bland boiled lentils), bellam(jaggery), and atkulu (flattened parboiled rice)
Muddapappu Bathukamma – The third day of Bathukamma falls on Vidiya/second day of Ashwayuja masam.
Naivedyam: Muddapappu (softened boiled lentils), milk and bellam(jaggery)
Nanabiyyam Bathukamma – The fourth day falls on thidiya/third day of Ashwayuja masam.
Naivedyam: Nananesina biyyam(wet rice), milk, and bellam(jaggery)
Atla Bathukamma – The fifth day falls on the chathurdi/fourth day of Ashwayuja masam. Food
Naivedyam : Uppidi pindi atlu( pan cakes made from wheatlets), or Dosa
Aligina Bathukamma – The sixth day falls on the panchami/fifth day of Ashwayuja masam.
No food offering is made.
Vepakayala Bathukamma The seventh day falls on the sashti/sixth day of Ashwayuja masam.
Naivedyam : Rice flour shaped into the fruits of neem tree is deepfried.
Vennamuddala Bathukamma – The eight day falls on sapthami/seventh day of Ashwayuja masam.
Naivedyam : Nuvvulu(sesame), Venna(Butter) or ghee(clarified butter), and bellam(jaggery)
Saddula Bathukamma – The ninth day of bathukamma is celebrated on ashtami/eight day of Ashwayuja masam, and coincides with Durgashtami.
Naivedyam : Five types of cooked rice dishes: Perugannam saddi(curd rice), Chinthapandu pulihora saddi(tamarind rice), Nimmakaya saddi(lemon rice), Kobbara saddi(coconut rice) and Nuvvula saddi(sesame rice)
Bathukamma is a celebration of the inherent relationship human beings share with earth and water. During the entire preceding week, women make ‘boddemma’ (a deity of Gowri – mother Durga – made with earthly mud) along with Bathukamma and immerse it in the pond. This helps reinforce the ponds and helps it retain more water. The flowers used in Bathukamma have a great quality of purifying water in ponds and tanks and flowers so immersed in abundance are environment friendly.
In times when the fresh water ponds are gradually diminishing and dwindling away, it is indeed a matter of pride for Telangana that its womenfolk (with mostly agrarian background) inherently know how to rejuvenate them by celebrating the festival of flowers.
The festival heralds the beauty of nature, collective spirit of Telangana people, the indomitable spirit of womenfolk and also the ecological spirit of the agrarian people in preserving the natural resources in a festive way.
Must read : Navaratri with Colors : significance of 9 days and 9 colours
