Flowers stacked in concentric rings, women singing in circles, and the air thick with marigold and chrysanthemum — Bathukamma, Telangana's grand floral festival, has begun. The Chief Minister's Office of Telangana announced on Saturday, 10 October 2026 that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has extended heartfelt wishes to all women of the state as the festival commences with Engili Pula Bathukamma — the first of the nine-day celebration.

The post, in Telugu, describes Bathukamma as 'ఆడబిడ్డల ఆత్మీయ వేడుక' — 'the beloved festival of Telangana's daughters' — and as the state's grandest celebration for women. CM Revanth Reddy expressed his wish that 'every home be filled with joy and every heart with happiness' as the festival, which showcases Telangana's cultural splendour through the beauty of flowers and nature, unfolds across the state.

Engili Pula Bathukamma: The Nine-Day Countdown Begins

Bathukamma is observed across nine days in the Telugu month of Bhadrapada-Ashwayuja, typically falling in September-October. The festival begins with Engili Pula Bathukamma and culminates on Saddula Bathukamma, coinciding with the penultimate day of Dasara. Women construct towering floral arrangements — the 'Bathukamma' — using seasonal wildflowers like gunugu, tangedu, and banti, arranged in concentric tiers on a brass plate, then gather in open grounds to sing folk songs and dance around the display before immersing it in a lake or river.

CM Revanth Reddy invoked the blessings of Gauramma — the mother goddess at the heart of the festival's devotional tradition — praying that all women of Telangana be blessed with long life, good health, and all-round prosperity: 'ఆయురారోగ్యాలతో, అష్టైశ్వర్యాలతో, సుఖసంతోషాలతో వర్ధిల్లాలని'.

A Festival That Is Also a Cultural Identity

Bathukamma carries weight well beyond ritual. The Telangana government declared it the State Festival of Telangana after the state's formation in 2014, marking it as a cornerstone of the distinct cultural identity that the statehood movement drew upon. The festival had long served as a symbol of Telangana's separate cultural heritage distinct from coastal Andhra, and its elevation to official state festival status was a deliberate act of cultural assertion by successive state administrations.

Each year, the government organises large public Bathukamma events, distributes sarees to women, and promotes the festival's folk music and craft traditions as part of its cultural outreach. The floral arrangements themselves are an ecological statement — the wildflowers used are native to the Deccan plateau and bloom precisely in this post-monsoon window, making the festival a hymn to the local landscape as much as to the goddess.

As women across Telangana lift their Bathukamma arrangements and walk toward the nearest water body this evening, the Chief Minister's greeting puts official weight behind a celebration that has always belonged, first and foremost, to them.