Telugu Festival
బతుకమ్మ
Bathukamma
Telangana's nine-day flower festival — Engili Pula Bathukamma to Saddula Bathukamma 2026
2026 Date
Saturday, October 10, 2026
భాద్రపదం బహుళ పౌర్ణమి / అమావాస్య, పరాభవ నామ సంవత్సరం
Panchangam for Bathukamma 2026
📍 Hyderabad, IST · October 10, 2026
Tithi
Krishna Paksha Pournami / Amavasya
బహుళ పౌర్ణమి / అమావాస్య
Vara
Saturday
శనివారం
Nakshatra
Hasta
హస్త
Yoga
Indra
ఇంద్ర
Karana
Naga
నాగ
Timings — select your city
Rahu Kalam
9:06 am – 10:34 am
Gulika Kalam
12:03 pm – 1:32 pm
Yamagandam
1:32 pm – 3:01 pm
Abhijit Muhurtham
11:39 am – 12:27 pm
Durmuhurtam
6:08 am – 6:55 am
Sunrise / Sunset
6:08 am / 5:58 pm
Muhurta Guidance
Bathukamma has no muhurta requirement — it is an evening folk observance, typically begun around sunset each day of the nine, with Saddula Bathukamma's immersion best done before nightfall.
Significance — ప్రాధాన్యత
Bathukamma (బతుకమ్మ) is Telangana's own flower festival — a nine-day celebration, unlike anything observed elsewhere in India, in which women build tiered, temple-shaped arrangements of seasonal flowers and worship Goddess Gauri (Lakshmi) through song and dance. In 2026, Bathukamma runs from October 10 to October 18, beginning on Mahalaya Amavasya (the day before Sharada Navaratri begins) and culminating on Durgashtami with Saddula (Pedda) Bathukamma.
The word "Bathukamma" literally means "Mother Goddess, come alive" (bathuku = life/live, amma = mother) — the festival is fundamentally a celebration of womanhood, nature, and the life-giving power of the earth. Each evening, women and girls gather in courtyards and open spaces, arrange the flower stack, place it in the centre, and circle it singing traditional Bathukamma songs and clapping in rhythm, before immersing it in a pond, lake, or tank at the end.
Unlike most Telugu festivals which are rooted in Sanskrit scripture, Bathukamma is a folk tradition specific to the Telangana region, closely tied to the local agricultural calendar — it falls just after the monsoon, when wildflowers like Tangedu (Tanner's Cassia) and Gunugu bloom across the countryside. This makes Bathukamma as much a celebration of the land and season as of the goddess.
Rituals — పూజా విధానం
Build the Bathukamma: arrange concentric layers of seasonal flowers (Tangedu, Gunugu, Banti/marigold, Chamanthi) in a decreasing-diameter stack on a brass plate, topped with a small mound of turmeric shaped as Gauri
Gather in a courtyard or open space each evening at dusk, place the Bathukammas in a circle
Women and girls walk around the flower stacks clockwise, clapping and singing traditional Bathukamma songs (patalu) in call-and-response style
Offer naivedyam appropriate to that day (see below) after the singing
On the final day (Saddula Bathukamma), carry the flower stacks in procession to a nearby pond, lake, or water tank
Immerse (visarjan) the Bathukammas in the water while singing farewell songs, then exchange Maleeda/Saddi as prasadam among the gathered women
Wear traditional attire (langa voni for girls, pattu chira / silk sari for women) throughout the nine days
Telugu Traditions — తెలుగు సంప్రదాయాలు
The nine days each have their own name and offering: Engili Pula Bathukamma (day 1, Oct 10) — the smallest, first flowers gathered; Atukula Bathukamma (day 2, Oct 11) — flattened rice offering; Muddapappu Bathukamma (day 3, Oct 12) — cooked lentils; Nanabiyyam Bathukamma (day 4, Oct 13) — soaked rice; Atla Bathukamma (day 5, Oct 14) — dosa/atlu offering; Aligina Bathukamma / Sambaralu (day 6, Oct 15) — larger community gatherings; Vepakayala Bathukamma (day 7, Oct 16) — neem-fruit-shaped sweets; Vennamuddala Bathukamma (day 8, Oct 17) — butter offering; Saddula (Pedda) Bathukamma (day 9, Oct 18) — the grandest, culminating day
Government-organised celebrations at Tank Bund (Hyderabad) and LB Stadium draw hundreds of thousands of participants and are broadcast live across Telangana
Telangana government declares public holidays around Bathukamma week; it is treated as a state festival on par with Sankranti
Bathukamma songs (patalu) are an entire oral-tradition genre of their own — verses passed down through generations, often referencing local geography, deities, and everyday rural life
NRI Telangana communities worldwide (US, UK, Gulf) organise large Bathukamma events, making it one of the most visible diaspora cultural festivals
Traditional Foods — పండుగ వంటలు
Maleeda (or Saddi)
a sweet made of crushed roti/rice and jaggery, the signature prasadam distributed after Saddula Bathukamma
Atukulu (flattened rice) with jaggery and coconut
day 2 offering
Sakkarapongali or sweet pongal
commonly prepared during the festival week
Vadapappu and Panakam
offered especially during the hotter early days of the festival
Related Festivals
2026 Telugu Calendar
All festivals, Ekadashis, Pournami and auspicious dates