In a peaceful village, there once lived seven brothers, each with a deep affection for their one younger sister. From a tender age, they pampered her with love and care, treasuring her above all else. As time passed, the brothers married and welcomed their wives into their lives, hoping for a harmonious family. However, as fate would have it, the wives grew envious of the sister, radiant personality and the adoration she got from the village. This envy turned into resentment, and they became determined to diminish her light.
One awful day, when the brothers were away on a hunting expedition, the wives seized the opportunity to confront the sister, intending to inflict emotional pain with their hurtful words. Unable to bear the hurtful words and experiencing that they hated her from a long time, she ran away from the house and attempted to drown herself in a nearby lake, and her body turned into flowers in the water. The main flowers used to make a bathukamma.
The brothers after her death decided to make it a huge festival every year. This is when Telangana has its biggest harvest of nine essential grains called Navadhanya. Since the harvest time lies around Navratri, the festival is celebrated around this time.
The literal translation of Bathukamma implies “live O’mother”. Mother or Amma is commonly used to address any woman with respect and at the end of every night after playing Bathukamma, the flowers are back into the water symbolizing even she needs to return back to her fate.
Illustration by Amrapali
