SSC
What is the meaning of 'Bathukamma', the colourful floral festival celebrated in Telangana?
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Answer: Option D — Mother Goddess, come alive
Detailed Solution
Bathukamma is a colourful floral festival celebrated mainly by women in Telangana. In the Telugu language, "Bathuku" means life and "Amma" means mother, so the name is understood as "Mother Goddess, come alive". The festival honours Goddess Gauri (Parvati), the patron goddess of womanhood.
Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during the Sharada Navratri, in September-October, beginning on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and ending on Durgashtami. The last day is called Saddula Bathukamma, when the celebration is grandest. During the festival, women arrange seasonal flowers that grow in the region, such as gunuka, tangedu, banti, chamanti and lotus, in concentric layers to form a beautiful cone or tower, like a temple gopuram. This floral arrangement is itself called the Bathukamma. In the evenings, women and girls in traditional dress place their Bathukammas in the centre of an open space, form circles around them, and sing and dance while clapping their hands. The songs praise the goddess and describe stories of the region and the lives of women. At the end of each day, the Bathukammas are immersed in a lake or pond. The flowers used are believed to have medicinal qualities that help to purify the water.
The festival celebrates the beauty of nature, the monsoon harvest and the strength of women, and it is a symbol of the cultural identity of Telangana. The Government of Telangana celebrates it as a state festival. Another important festival of Telangana is Bonalu, dedicated to Goddess Mahakali, celebrated in the month of Ashada.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Festival of lamps is the meaning of Deepavali.
- ✗Mother of rivers is not the meaning of Bathukamma.
- ✗Garland of victory is not the meaning of Bathukamma.
Quick tip
Remember: Bathukamma = Telangana, the flower arrangement in the shape of a cone, Goddess Gauri and the Sharada Navratri. Bonalu = Goddess Mahakali.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.