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Bathukamma festival represents the culture and identity of the people of Telangana and involves the worship of Maha Gauri – “Life Giver” in the form of Gauri Devi.
Ministry of Culture organized the celebration of Bathukamma festival being at Kartavyapath, India Gate, New Delhi, today. The event was attended by Union Minister for Culture, Tourism G Kishan Reddy, MoS Tourism Shri Ajay Bhatt and senior women officers in the administrative and law enforcement, and women HODs of different Government departments.
Bathukamma Festival is an annual celebration in Telangana that goes on for nine days and overlaps with the festival of Navratri. The festival is celebrated with colourful exotic flowers of the region and symbolises the collective spirit of the people of Telangana. This year Bathukamma celebrations are taking place from 25th of September till the 3rd of October.
This festival is to pray to the Goddess for the health and achievements of each family. Young women of the Hindu household get to pray to the Goddess for a life partner of their choice. Bathukamma means “The Mother Goddess comes to life”. It represents the culture and identity of the people of Telangana and involves the worship of Maha Gauri – “Life Giver” in the form of Gauri Devi (patron goddess of womanhood).
The festival involves young women arranging flowers in stacks and making rangoli to start the celebrations. The men also help celebrate this festival, by aiding in the preparations like by collecting different flowers such as Marigold, Lotus, Senna. Some of the women dip a few flowers in vibrant colours and then arrange them in a wide plate and stack them in a pile.The rituals of this festival are performed by the Hindu women, especially young girls, who gather around in large numbers in their local areas during the evening time. Forming a circle, they then perform the ritual which involves them singing a folk song and revolving around the Bathukamma, all the while clapping their hands and walking in synchronised steps. This entire performance is to invoke the blessings of the goddess for good health and prosperity for their families.
