Unique way of Telugu Navratri celebrations: How it is celebrated and significance

A colourful floral festival, Bathukamma is celebrated by women in Telangana and has become a symbol of the state’s culture and identity.

Flowers like ‘gunuka’ (or ‘gunugu’), ‘tangedu’, ‘banti’, ‘chamanti’ and ‘nandi-vardhanam’ are used to make small ‘Bathukammas’ during the week-long celebrations. Every evening, women gather around these Bathukammas and play, sing and dance in circles. On the final day of the celebrations, men go out to gather flowers like ‘gunuka’ and ‘tangedu’, which are then arranged in stacks.

The flowers are arranged in circular rows on a brass plate called the ‘taambalam’. The Bathukamma is also placed before the family deity and prayers are offered.

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After the immersion of the ‘Bathukammalu’, people greet each other with sweets like the ‘maleeda’.

During the week, women also make ‘boddemma’, which is a representation of the deity of Gauri or Durga). Boddemma is made of mud and is immersed in the pond along with Bathukamma.

People of Andhra Pradesh visit Goddess Durga temples to offer prayers during the nine days of Navratri. Dasara celebrations are witnessed at the Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri. During the nine days of the festival, the presiding deity appears in various forms such as Sri Swarna Kavachalankruta Sri Durga Devi, Sri Balatripura Sundari Devi, Sri Gayatri Devi, Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi, Sri Annapurna Devi, Sri Mahalakshmi Devi, Sri Saraswathi Devi, Sri Durga Devi and Sri Mahisasura Mardini Devi. On the final day or Vijayadasami, the deity will be adorned as ‘Sri Rajarajeswari Devi’.

Celebrations are also observed in the old temple on the shores of River Krishna known as the Durga Malleshwar Swami in Vijayawada district.

Bathukamma celebrates the bond between humans and earth and water. On the other hand, Dasara celebrates the victory of good over evil. Both festivals mark the indomitable power of women and herald the collective spirit of the Telugu people.