Bathukamma begins on Mahalaya Amavasya, the new moon that closes the fortnight of the ancestors. From that evening the women of Telangana stack seasonal flowers into a cone, set it down in a courtyard or at a street corner, and sing around it. The name means "Mother, come alive", and the stack of flowers is the goddess herself.
The story
Most festivals bring an image out of a temple. Bathukamma has no image at all. Gauri is shaped fresh each day from what the fields and waysides give at the end of the monsoon, and returned to the water the same evening.
One of the stories sung in the Bathukamma songs tells of a king and queen who lost child after child, until a daughter was born and they named her Bathukamma, praying that she, at least, would live. The songs carry that wish for every daughter of the house.
బతుకమ్మ బతుకమ్మ ఉయ్యాలో, బంగారు బతుకమ్మ ఉయ్యాలో
Bathukamma, Bathukamma, uyyalo; golden Bathukamma, uyyalo
The refrain that opens many Bathukamma songs
How the nine days go
- The flowersGunugu (celosia), tangedu (the yellow Senna that is Telangana's state flower), banti (marigold), chamanti (chrysanthemum) and gummadi (pumpkin) blossoms are laid in rings on a wide plate, rising to a point. A small mound of turmeric, Gauramma, sits at the top.
- The first dayThe first Bathukamma is called Engili Pula Bathukamma. It is made on the new-moon day itself, when families have also offered food to their ancestors.
- The songsWomen and girls circle the flowers clapping, each line of the song ending in "uyyalo". The songs are long and often improvised: about the goddess, about a mother's house, about the day's gossip.
- Each day its dishEvery day has its own name and offering, from Atukula Bathukamma (flattened rice) and Muddapappu Bathukamma (cooked dal) through to Saddula Bathukamma on the ninth day.
- The immersionAt dusk the Bathukamma is carried to a tank or pond and set afloat. The flowers are said to cleanse the water they dissolve into.
Why this date
Bathukamma starts on the new-moon day (Amavasya) of the month of Bhadrapada, known as Mahalaya or Pethara Amavasya. The calendar places it on the day the Amavasya tithi is in force during the afternoon, the part of the day kept for offerings to ancestors.
Bathukamma in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday | |
| 2027 | Wednesday | |
| 2028 | Monday | |
| 2029 | Sunday | |
| 2030 | Friday | |
| 2031 | Wednesday |
More Telugu festivals
7 OctoberSaddula Bathukammaసద్దుల బతుకమ్మ
7 OctoberDurgashtamiదుర్గాష్టమి
9 OctoberVijayadasamiవిజయదశమి
4 SeptemberVinayaka Chavithiవినాయక చవితి
24 AugustSri Krishnashtamiశ్రీకృష్ణాష్టమి
17 AugustRakhi Pournamiరాఖీ పౌర్ణమి
Where to see Bathukamma
In the Telugu states
- Padmakshi Temple, HanamkondaTelanganaThe tank at the foot of this hill temple is where the women of Warangal and Hanamkonda bring their Bathukammas; many count it the festival's home ground.
- Thousand Pillar Temple, HanamkondaTelanganaThe Kakatiya temple a short walk away fills with flower stacks and song through the nine evenings.
- Shilparamam, HyderabadTelanganaThe crafts village in Madhapur stages Bathukamma evenings where visitors can watch the stacks being built and join the circle.
Across India
- GayaBiharThe same new moon closes the fortnight of the ancestors, and Gaya, on the Phalgu river, is where families from across India come to offer pinda.
- Kumortuli, KolkataWest BengalIn the potters' quarter the eyes of the Durga images are painted on Mahalaya, the day Bengal says the goddess sets out for home.
- RameswaramTamil NaduPilgrims bathe at Agni Theertham and offer tarpanam for their ancestors on the new moon.