Pic: Suman Reddy D Bathukamma Women with Bathukammas gather flowers and prepare floral stacks for the nine-day festival. festivities begin across Telangana at Kukatpally on Saturday.
The celebrations began with Yengili Poola Bathukamma on Mahalaya Amavasya and will culminate with Saddula Bathukamma on Oct 18. Ravi Shankar , president of the Federation of Gated Communities, Cyberabad (FGCC), said his community’s Bathukamma budget had increased by Rs 1 lakh this year, from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh. Flower costs alone had risen by around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000, he said. “The budget was around Rs 2.5 lakh last year, but it has gone up to Rs 3.5 lakh this year.
Flower costs and decoration expenses have increased, while more people are participating in the celebrations,” he said. Women arranged flowers in distinctive conical stacks, placed them at the centre of gatherings and danced around them to traditional songs. The festival honours Goddess Gauri and celebrates nature’s bounty, with flowers, many traditionally valued for their medicinal properties, forming the centrepiece of the festivities. Each day, special prasadams, including Telangana delicacies, are offered to Bathukammas. The celebrations conclude with immersing the Bathukammas in water bodies. In Hyderabad, the celebrations are also bringing neighbours together, though organising them is becoming more expensive for some communities as flower and decoration costs rise.
Bathukamma Women with Bathukammas gather flowers and prepare floral stacks for the nine-day festival. festivities begin across Telangana at Kukatpally on Saturday. Pic: Suman Reddy D Hyderabad: Women from all walks of life gathered in colourful attire at colonies, designated community spaces and apartment cellars on Saturday to celebrate the start of Bathukamma, the nine-day floral festival of Telangana .
The event is expected to draw around 2,000 women, with traditional rituals, dancing and a community meal planned. The festival’s concluding celebrations in Hyderabad are expected to draw large crowds to Tank Bund on Oct 18. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Hyderabad | Silver Rate in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad | Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Petrol Price in Hyderabad | Diesel Price in Hyderabad | CNG Price in Hyderabad | LPG Price in Hyderabad Stay updated with the latest Hyderabad news.
Dr Rao VBJ Chelikani, president of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS), said the festival strengthened neighbourhood ties and gave women a central role in organising community events. It brings people living in the same colonies together and gives women a prominent role in organising community events,” he said. Resident welfare associations are seeing more people volunteer and contribute to the celebrations, Chelikani said.
“Bathukamma is largely a regional social celebration. Unlike some religious events funded mainly by participating households, Bathukamma often receives contributions from individuals as well as association funds. Despite rising expenses, residents continue to support the festivities. Mahalaya Amavasya also marks the beginning of Pitru Paksha, a period when families honour their ancestors through prayers and food offerings at homes and temples. Download the TOI App.