The delightful season of Bathukamma has arrived this year, bringing a hope of prosperity and universal well-being. The festival has many legends associated with it. This festival plays a vital role in the culture and traditions of Telangana state. Every year, Bathukamma festival is eagerly celebrated by the Hindus. Bathukamma festival has many myths behind its festivities.

According to Hindu religious scholars and pundits, once there lived a King named Dharmangada who belonged to the Chola Dynasty who largely ruled over South India. His wife gave birth to a girl child after many years of rituals and prayer. She was named as Princess Lakshmi. During her childhood, it is said that Lakshmi survived many unforeseen incidents in life. Later the parents named their daughter as Bathukamma. According to Telugu language, Bathuku means life and Amma means mother.

Bathukamma festival is grandly celebrated by young women in Telangana region. The main motive of this particular festival is to pray with devotion to the Goddess with a strong belief that young girls would tie the marital knot as per their desire and wish. On the other hand, married women along with their household friends and relatives celebrate this festival in order to pray to the Goddess for prosperity and well-being of their family. The men folk along with other family members, relatives and friends help in gathering flowers and arrangement of a beautiful flower stack during the festival season.

According to few Hindu religious scholars, one myth regarding Goddess Gauri is that after a fierce fight she killed ‘Mahishasura’ the demon. After this serious act, she went into deep sleep due to fatigue on the ‘Aswayuja Padyami’ day. Her devotees strongly prayed with devotion so that she would wake up. This finally happened on the Dasami day. The other version of Bathukamma is that there was a king named Dharmangada and a queen named Satyavati belonging to Chola Dynasty. They lost their hundred sons in the war front. So they prayed and performed rituals to Goddesses Lakshmi to be born as their daughter. The Goddesses heard it and immediately obliged them. On her birth, many pandits visited the baby at the royal palace and blessed her by calling Bathukamma or ‘live forever’. Another version says that Parvathi or Batakamma is an adherent lover of flowers.

The seasonal flowers of spring are arranged on a square bamboo frame or square wooden plank with the size of frames that is hardly tapering off to directly form a pinnacle on the top. It looks like the shape of a temple tower or ‘Gopura’. On top of the flower stack, a lump of turmeric is kept. The worship of Goddess Batakamma is done with this little floral stack. This festival mainly belongs to the women folk of Telangana region. Even, men and children participate with lot of interest and enthusiasm in the festivities.