# Bathukamma: Telangana's festival of flowers

> Bathukamma is Telangana's state festival, a nine-day celebration of the Goddess by women during Navratri. Each evening women stack seasonal flowers into a cone (the bathukamma), dance and sing in a circle around it, and set it afloat on a lake or tank. It begins with Engili Pula Bathukamma on Mahalaya Amavasya, Saturday 10 October 2026, and ends with Saddula Bathukamma on Durgashtami, which 2026 calendars place on 18 or 19 October.

Source: https://pujoparikramaguide.in/navratri/bathukamma/ (updated 2026-10-06)

**Bathukamma** is Telangana's festival of flowers and the state's official festival. For nine days during Navratri, women and girls build cone-shaped towers of flowers, called *bathukammas*, gather in the evening to dance and sing around them, and then let them float away on a lake, tank or pond. The name is usually translated as "Mother Goddess, come alive": the flowers themselves are honoured as the Goddess, often identified with Gauri.

## Bathukamma 2026 dates

The festival begins on **Mahalaya Amavasya, Saturday 10 October 2026**, with *Engili Pula Bathukamma*, and ends with **Saddula Bathukamma** on **Durgashtami**. Published 2026 calendars disagree on the last day: some, including the state calendar, give **18 October**, while others following a different panchang give **19 October**. Dussehra (Dasara) follows. Check the Telangana government holiday list or your local temple for the final dates.

## How a bathukamma is made

A bathukamma is built in layers on a *thambalam*, a brass or steel plate:

1. A base of leaves is laid on the plate.
2. Flowers are packed in concentric rings, each smaller than the last, so the stack narrows into a cone. Colours are alternated in bands.
3. A small *Gauramma* (Gauri), a cone of turmeric paste, is placed on top, sometimes with a pumpkin flower.

The flowers are those of the Deccan monsoon's end: bright yellow **tangedu** (Tanner's cassia), feathery **gunuka** (celosia), **banti** (marigold), **chamanti** (chrysanthemum), lotus, and many more. Many of them are medicinal plants, and people say the flowers cleanse the water bodies they are set afloat on. Bathukammas range from a hand's height on the first days to towers a metre or more tall on the last.

## The evening ritual

In the late afternoon, women in their best saris carry their bathukammas to an open space: a temple yard, a street corner, the bank of a tank. The bathukammas are placed in the centre, and the women form a circle around them, clapping in rhythm and singing **Bathukamma songs**, call-and-response folk songs about the Goddess, family life, history and the village. The circle turns slowly for an hour or more.

At dusk the bathukammas are carried to the water and set afloat with a final song. Women share small offerings of food (*prasadam*) with each other, and go home together.

## The nine days

Each day has its own name and its own offering. The names vary a little between districts, but a common sequence is:

| Day | Name | Typical offering |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engili Pula Bathukamma | Sesame seeds, rice flour |
| 2 | Atukula Bathukamma | Flattened rice (atukulu), jaggery |
| 3 | Muddapappu Bathukamma | Soft-cooked lentils, milk, jaggery |
| 4 | Nanabiyyam Bathukamma | Soaked rice, milk, jaggery |
| 5 | Atla Bathukamma | Small pancakes (atlu) |
| 6 | Aligina Bathukamma | A rest day, no bathukamma |
| 7 | Vepakayala Bathukamma | Rice-flour fritters shaped like neem fruit |
| 8 | Vennamuddala Bathukamma | Sesame, butter, ghee, jaggery |
| 9 | Saddula Bathukamma | Five or more kinds of flavoured rice |

**Saddula Bathukamma**, the last day, is the biggest. The tallest bathukammas of the year are built, and families cook *saddulu*, flavoured rices such as tamarind, lemon, coconut, sesame and curd rice, to share after the immersion.

## Where to see it

Every town and village in Telangana celebrates, and Telangana families keep Bathukamma wherever they live. In Hyderabad the largest gatherings are around Hussain Sagar and the city's lakes, with state-organised celebrations on the final evening. Outside the state, Telugu associations in other cities hold community Bathukamma evenings; ask locally.

## Bathukamma and the season

Bathukamma runs through the same nine nights that Bengal spends preparing for and celebrating [Durga Puja](/durga-puja/what-is-durga-puja/), and Gujarat spends dancing [garba](/navratri/garba-dandiya/). See how the other communities keep the season in [Navratri across India](/navratri/across-india/), and the Tamil and Telugu doll displays in the [Golu guide](/navratri/golu/).

## Frequently asked questions

**When is Bathukamma in 2026?**
Bathukamma begins with Engili Pula Bathukamma on Mahalaya Amavasya, Saturday 10 October 2026, and ends with Saddula Bathukamma on Durgashtami. Calendars differ on whether that falls on 18 or 19 October, so check the Telangana government holiday list or your temple.

**What does Bathukamma mean?**
Bathukamma is usually translated as 'Mother Goddess, come alive' (bathuku, life, and amma, mother). The flower stack itself is honoured as the Goddess, often identified with Gauri.

**Which flowers are used in Bathukamma?**
Seasonal wild and garden flowers of the Deccan, especially tangedu (Tanner's cassia, bright yellow), gunuka (celosia), banti (marigold), chamanti (chrysanthemum), along with lotus, gummadi (pumpkin) flowers and others, often with a turmeric Gauri placed on top.

**What is Saddula Bathukamma?**
Saddula Bathukamma is the grand final day, on Durgashtami. The tallest bathukammas are made, and five or more kinds of flavoured rice (saddulu), such as tamarind, lemon, coconut, sesame and curd rice, are prepared and shared.

**Is Bathukamma only for women?**
The circle dance, the songs and the making of the bathukamma are led by women and girls. Men help gather flowers and carry the larger stacks to the water, and the whole family joins the evening gatherings.