Bathukamma celebrations, the biggest festival for women in Telangana state, will start from today. From girls to old women are getting ready to play street vadavana bathukamma games. Prativeedhi is going to be resplendent with the grand Bathukamma celebrations for nine days.
Rama Ram Uyya, Ramane Sri Rama Uyya, Antu Uyya songs and folk songs of Telangana will enthrall the state. From today, this festival, which is celebrated by women for nine days, is also very special. Beautifully decorated with wild flowers such as gourd, tangedu, ball, gunugu and lotus flowers, then all the men and women gather at one place and in the evenings, the goddess is worshiped with songs, folk dances and kolats for nine days. On the ninth day, the big bathukammas are piled up and all the women play instruments and immerse the bathukammas in the village pond.
It is customary to immerse flower bathukammas beautifully decorated with different types of flowers in the village pond. But elders say that there is science behind this age-old custom. It is said that there are micro-organisms that are harmful to people in the water that comes during the rainy season. Also, Amma is worshiped in the form of Gouramma during the Sharannavaratra which starts in autumn. But it is believed by the devotees that all the flowers are piled in the form of Sri Chakra and gourammas made of turmeric are placed in the middle and they go round with the songs of the Goddess. Women who have piled small bratukammas for eight days starting from Bhadrapada Amavasya.
On the ninth day, after making and worshiping the big bratukammas, they go to a designated area in the middle village of Dappuchappulla. The Brathukamma festival is completed when all the women gather together and prepare new clothes, sattupindlu etc. Brathukamma is the biggest festival of women for nine days.