Why do we Celebrate Bathukamma
Bathukamma is a colorful and vibrant festival of flowers that comes during the time of Dussehra. It is celebrated by the women of Telangana, with flowers that grow exclusively in each region. Bathukamma festival is a symbol of Telangana’s cultural identity. It comes during the latter half of the monsoon, that is, before the onset of winter. The rains during the monsoon season usually bring plenty of water into the freshwater ponds of Telangana.
Also, this is the time when the uncultivated and barren plains of the region are filled with blooming wildflowers that are of various vibrant colors. Most of these wildflowers are the ‘gunuka poolu’ and ‘tangedu poolu’.
However, other flowers include the banti, chemanti, nandi-vardhanam, and many more. Bathukamma is celebrated by all the women of Telangana, indicating the beauty of nature along with the vibrant colors of blooming flowers.
Why do we celebrate the Bathukamma festival?
According to Hindu mythology, one belief regarding Goddess Gauri is that after a fierce fight with ‘Mahishasura’, she killed the demon. After which she went into a deep sleep due to fatigue on the day of ‘Aswayuja Padyami’. She then woke up on the day of Dasami. It is believed that the Hindus strongly pray with devotion to waking up the Goddess.
Another belief of Bathukamma, as discussed earlier, was that there was a king named Dharmangada and his wife named Satyavati who belonged to the Chola Dynasty. They had a hundred sons who unfortunately died on the war front. So they prayed with devotion and performed rituals and wished for Goddess Lakshmi to be born as their daughter. The Goddess heard their prayers and immediately obliged them. On her birth, many scholars and pundits visited the baby at the royal palace and blessed her by calling Bathukamma to live forever.
Bathukamma is a festival that is grandly celebrated by the young girls in Telangana. The main intention and belief of this festival are to pray with devotion to the Goddess that they would soon get their beloved husbands as per their desire and wish.
On other hand, the married women of Telangana along with their household friends pray to the goddesses for the prosperity and good health of their family and relatives to celebrate the festival. Primarily, this particular festival is celebrated by young girls who are of marriageable age.
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