Batukamma

BATUKAMMAtc "BATUKAMMA"
tc ""
Prof. D. Ramakrishna

Ever since the beginnings of the Kakatiya empire, the continuing predominance of Veerasaivism in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh is evident from the presence of the famous temples of Kaleswara Mukteeswaralayam at Kaleswaram in Karimnagar District and the Ramappa Temple and the Thousand - Pillared temple as well as the Bhadrakali and Padmakshi temples in Warangal District, thronged by devotees from far and near.  Despite the profound changes in society after the fall of the Kakatiya empire, the climate of deep Saivism flourishes in the region, involving celebration of festivals by people worshipping Lord Siva and his consort Parvati.  One of the popular festivals during the Dasara season celebrated mainly by women of the Telangana region is Batukamma.  Hi-Tech education, living styles, and sartorial fashions not withstanding, modern girls too take part in the Batukamma festivals, wearing traditional silk garments and resplendent jewelry.

Divinity comes into the midst of the humans through Nature, as it were, giving health and prosperity.  In the Hindu faith, Prakriti or Nature stands for Mother, the Goddess-Gowri, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. 

One of the legends concerning the origins of the Batukamma celebrations was related to   the Chola King Rukmangada. Having been issueless, the king worshipped Goddess Gowri and was blessed with a daughter.  The child survived a series of health hazards and was named Batukamma. As she grew up, she became a great devotee of Gowri. She made an image of the Goddess with turmeric paste, decorated it with kumkum and a variety of flowers in conical shape and worshipped. After praying for Gowri in different temples for eight days, Batukamma would leave the image in the waters of the lake on the ninth day.  That ritual is said to have come down the ages and celebrated during the nine-day Dasara festival season worshipping Gowri or Uma, Lord Siva’s consort.

In Telugu, Batuku:live, Amma:Mother, meaning praying for the Divine Mother’s eternal presence for the welfare of mankind. Batukamma festival is basically a part of the Hindu mythology concerning Lord Siva and his consort Uma. The story behind the celebration is related to the self-immolation of Uma who was angry at her father Daksha’s refusal to invite her husband Siva to his Yagna.  She walked into the sacrificial fire and Siva was provoked to turn himself into a destructive force against Daksha.

In the Batukamma festival celebrated with gaiety and devotion by women in most of the Telangana districts, in both the rural and urban areas, Goddess Uma is invoked by means of folk dances and songs of Batukamma, Batukamma, Vuyyalo, suggesting swinging in a cradle.  As the Batukammas are left afloat on the water on the last day, the movement up and down on the ripples of the water symbolizes the Heavenward swinging.  During the festivities, as multitudes of women dressed in multicoloured rustling silk sarees move on the streets, with the colourful flowers, it is spectacular human beauty merging with the Natural.  Worship of Nature is suggested by the variety of multicoloured flowers collected from the forest to arrange the bell-shaped Batukamma.  In Hinduism, Nature is worshipped as the female—in the triple aspects of Gowri, Lakshmi and Saraswathi — constituting the Cosmic Unity. In the western concept of Pantheism, however, God can be identified with all the forces of nature and with all natural things.  But the personality and transcendence of God is denied.

The bell-shaped Batukamma will be arranged on one or more bottle gourd leaves with circular layers of forest flowers, the diameter depending upon the size planned. Each circular layer contains a specific variety of flowers representing the sanctity of the colourful Nature. The lowest circular layer consists of tangedu flowers.  On that layer are arranged other layers of multi-coloured flowers, gunugu, sirikanchanam, seetajada, banti, sogu, katla, gaddegorinta, gorinta, rudraksha, ganneru, adavi chamanti, in ascending order, each layer thus being of one colour.  In order to prevent the circular layers of flowers from collapsing, the interior is stuffed with small tangedu leaves.  Once the bell-shaped Batukamma is formed, on top of it will be placed one pumpkin flower.

In the rural areas, on the first day of the nine-day festivities, small groups of women play in front of one of the houses in the name of “Boddemma” made with cow dung and decorated with kum kum and turmeric. Alongside it they place “Boddemmas” made of turmeric paste.  But in the urban areas, from the first day onwards, they arrange the bell-shaped Batukamma with a variety of forest flowers.  The first day celebration is called “Engilipoovu” or the beginning. On this day Batukamma will be made big in size and on the other days it is smaller.  And on the last day women vie with one another in shaping the size of the multi-coloured Batukamma using their individual artistic skills.  The “Saddula Batukamma” will be celebrated with utmost devotion on the last day.  Nine varieties of powders of cereals, green gram, gingili, Bengal gram etc. are mixed with cooked rice and offered to Goddess Gowri by the individual devotees. They are then exchanged among themselves as prasadam.

It is generally taken as not auspicious to arrange just one Batukamma in any house. Alongside the bigger one, in a bigger plate, a smaller Batukamma is arranged in a smaller plate.  On the top of the smaller one, Gowri made of turmeric paste is kept.  Putting these Batukammas in a pooja room at a place on the floor cleansed with water and decorated with muggulu (designs made with flour), the devotees burn incense and camphor.  Some sing and dance for a while at home before joining the procession on the streets towards the nearby lake or tank.  The movement of multitudes of women dressed in multihued traditional silk sarees and adorned with resplendent jewelry, as well as young girls in silk dresses, all carrying colourful Batukammas of various sizes on their heads or in hand will indeed be a spectacular sight, a flood of colour on the streets.  It is the surging stream of life itself.

On arriving at the lake or tank, groups of women first plant the branch of vempali plant in the soil, sprinkle kum kum and turmeric on it, and arrange Batukammas around it.  This ritual is said to be on account of the belief of man since time immemorial that plants too have life. The women standing around the vempali branch and the Batukammas (arranged around) dance and sing songs rhythmically, in folk style, in praise of Goddess Gowri.  Some of the songs refer to anectodes from Ramayana, Mahabharatam, and Bhagavatam and some to village deities. The women, singing songs in praise of the deity, throw flowers one by one on the Batukammas on the ground and, pray  for the arrival of Lord Siva, invoking the Moon as the day is closing.  Then they leave the Batukammas afloat in the water, singing songs of farewell for the rest of the year.  As the innumerable colourful Batukammas are left afloat in the water, with lighted oil lamps made of flour powder paste on top of them, it looks like an extension of the very principle of life on earth to the infinite shores of eternity.

While leaving the Batukammas afloat in the waters, women sing songs of farewell, seeking the blessings of the Goddess for their material bliss and prosperity of the near and dear.  Given a grand farewell on the ninth day of the festivities, the innumerable Batukammas afloat in the waters look as though nature which has been in the midst of the humans for nine days is retreating into itself.  And the cycle of celebration continues year after year, bringing in eternal prosperity to humanity.