Bathukamma 2026: dates of all nine days, Saddula Bathukamma and how to celebrate
By Kulasekhar Mittapalli · Updated
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Bathukamma 2026 runs for nine days, from Engili Pula Bathukamma on Saturday, October 10 to Saddula Bathukamma on Sunday, October 18. The dates are the same in India and abroad; only the evening times change with your local sunset.
1The story behind Bathukamma
Bathukamma means "come alive, Mother". The festival honours Gauri, the goddess as the giver of life, at the end of the monsoon, when the fields and ponds are full and wild flowers bloom across Telangana.
Folk songs tell several stories. In the best known, a Chola king named Dharmangada and his queen Satyavati lose many children; when a daughter is born after prayers to Lakshmi, people bless her to "live long" and call her Bathukamma. Another tradition sees Bathukamma as Gauri herself, whom women call back to life after her battle with Mahishasura. Both end in the same image: women singing together so that life, harvest and family flourish.
Bathukamma is Telangana's state festival, celebrated by women of every community, and it runs alongside Navaratri and Durga Puja.
2How Bathukamma is made and played
- Gather flowers: tangedu (yellow tanner's cassia), gunuka (celosia), banti (marigold), chamanthi (chrysanthemum), gummadi (pumpkin flowers) and other seasonal blooms.
- Build the Bathukamma: on a brass plate (tambalam), stack the flowers in circular layers that narrow towards the top, like a temple tower.
- Place Gauramma: a small cone of turmeric representing Gauri sits on top.
- Play: in the evening, women and girls place their Bathukammas in the centre, circle them, clap and sing the traditional Bathukamma songs together.
- Immerse: at dusk the Bathukammas are carried to a pond or lake and gently set on the water, and families share the day's naivedyam.
- On Saddula Bathukamma: the biggest Bathukammas of the year, and five kinds of saddulu: pulihora (tamarind or lemon rice), daddojanam (curd rice), nuvvula annam (sesame rice), kobbari annam (coconut rice) and perugannam.
3Checklist: what you need
10 items
- Seasonal flowers: tangedu, gunugu, banti, chamanti, lotus if you find one
- A wide brass plate (thambalam) or flat basket for stacking
- Pumpkin or other big leaves for the base
- Turmeric to shape Gauramma
- Kumkum, akshata, agarbatti, a small diya
- Thread or a banana stalk strip to hold the layers
- Daily naivedyam (sesame, peanut, rice-based) for the nine days
- Saddula: five kinds of saddulu (flavoured rice) for the last day
- Traditional clothes; a speaker with Bathukamma songs for the circle
- A pond, lake or a tub of water for immersion
4A priest, or do it yourself
How to make a Bathukamma (Telugu) · Tharani Yata · YouTubeA video by another channel, added after our review. If your family’s custom differs, follow it.
5Puja items near you
Indian groceries and puja stores near the city you picked above.
6Evening times by city
Bathukamma is played in the evening and immersed at dusk, so start gathering about an hour before your local sunset.
| City | Sunset Oct 10 | Sunset Oct 18 (Saddula) |
|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad | 5:57 PM | 5:51 PM |
| Warangal | 5:52 PM | 5:46 PM |
| New Jersey (Edison) | 6:24 PM | 6:11 PM |
| New York | 6:22 PM | 6:10 PM |
| Dallas | 6:59 PM | 6:49 PM |
| Chicago | 6:15 PM | 6:03 PM |
| Bay Area (San Jose) | 6:36 PM | 6:25 PM |
| Seattle | 6:29 PM | 6:14 PM |
| Toronto | 6:41 PM | 6:27 PM |
| London | 6:16 PM | 5:59 PM |
| Dubai | 5:55 PM | 5:48 PM |
| Singapore | 6:53 PM | 6:51 PM |
| Sydney | 7:02 PM | 7:09 PM |
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Bathukamma dates in your city
Each city page has every day of the festival with local times, and the dates in India.
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Canada
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More about Bathukamma
The nine days of Bathukamma 2026
Each evening has its own name and its own naivedyam (offering), traditionally simple foods made by the women of the house.
| Day · date | Name | Naivedyam |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Sat, Oct 10 | Engili Pula Bathukamma ఎంగిలి పూల బతుకమ్మ | Sesame seeds, rice flour and jaggery |
| 2 · Sun, Oct 11 | Atukula Bathukamma అటుకుల బతుకమ్మ | Flattened rice (atukulu) with jaggery |
| 3 · Mon, Oct 12 | Muddapappu Bathukamma ముద్దపప్పు బతుకమ్మ | Cooked moong dal, milk and jaggery |
| 4 · Tue, Oct 13 | Nanabiyyam Bathukamma నానబియ్యం బతుకమ్మ | Soaked rice with milk and jaggery |
| 5 · Wed, Oct 14 | Atla Bathukamma అట్ల బతుకమ్మ | Atlu (small dosas) |
| 6 · Thu, Oct 15 | Aligina Bathukamma అలిగిన బతుకమ్మ | No offering: the day Bathukamma is said to be upset, so no naivedyam is made |
| 7 · Fri, Oct 16 | Vepakayala Bathukamma వేపకాయల బతుకమ్మ | Rice flour fried in the shape of neem fruits |
| 8 · Sat, Oct 17 | Vennamuddala Bathukamma వెన్నముద్దల బతుకమ్మ | Butter, ghee, sesame and jaggery |
| 9 · Sun, Oct 18 | Saddula Bathukamma సద్దుల బతుకమ్మ | Five kinds of flavoured rice (saddulu) |
Bathukamma starts on Mahalaya Amavasya and ends on the evening Ashtami is in force at sunset, which is also Durga Ashtami. Dasara follows two days later, on Tuesday, October 20.
Celebrating abroad
- Join your local Telugu association: most cities in the US, UK, Gulf and Australia hold a community Saddula Bathukamma, usually on the nearest weekend.
- Flowers: marigolds, chrysanthemums, celosia and sunflowers from a grocery or florist work well; avoid plastic and foam.
- Immersion: use a basin or kiddie pool at home, or a pond where your city allows it, and put the flowers in the garden or compost afterwards.
- Timing: play in the hour before your local sunset (table above); if the community event is on the weekend, many families still light a lamp on the actual day.
బతుకమ్మ 2026: తెలుగులో
బతుకమ్మ పండుగ అక్టోబర్ 10 శనివారం ఎంగిలి పూల బతుకమ్మతో మొదలై, అక్టోబర్ 18 ఆదివారం సద్దుల బతుకమ్మతో ముగుస్తుంది. రోజులు: ఎంగిలి పూల, అటుకుల, ముద్దపప్పు, నానబియ్యం, అట్ల, అలిగిన (నైవేద్యం ఉండదు), వేపకాయల, వెన్నముద్దల, సద్దుల బతుకమ్మ. సద్దుల బతుకమ్మ రోజు హైదరాబాద్లో సూర్యాస్తమయం 5:51 PM. మీ నగరానికి సమయాల కోసం Global Panchang తెరవండి.
Frequently asked questions
When is Bathukamma in 2026?
Bathukamma begins with Engili Pula Bathukamma on Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Mahalaya Amavasya) and ends with Saddula Bathukamma on Sunday, October 18, 2026. The dates are the same in India, the US, the UK, the Gulf and Australia.
When is Saddula Bathukamma 2026?
Sunday, October 18, 2026, the evening when Ashtami is in force at sunset. This matches the Telangana state calendar.
What time should Bathukamma be played?
In the evening. Women gather before sunset, play and sing around the Bathukamma, and immerse it in water at dusk. Sunset on Saddula Bathukamma is 5:51 PM in Hyderabad and 6:49 PM in Dallas.
Why is there no offering on the sixth day?
The sixth day is Aligina Bathukamma, when the goddess is said to be upset (aligina), so families make no naivedyam and play lightly or not at all.
How do we celebrate Bathukamma outside India?
Most US, UK and Gulf Telugu associations hold a community Saddula Bathukamma. At home, build a small Bathukamma with marigolds and chrysanthemums, sing with family, and immerse it in a basin or a permitted pond; return the flowers to the garden afterwards.
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Calculated for each city's own sunrise, sunset and moonrise; times are shown to the minute in local time, including daylight saving. Panchangams can differ by a few minutes, and family and temple traditions vary. For general information only; it may contain errors and is not religious, astrological or medical advice. Always confirm important dates and muhurtams with your priest or temple. See the disclaimer and terms.
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