Bathukamma Panduga is an important ritual dedicated to Goddess Gauri observed during Navratri (September – October) in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. Bathukamma Festival Story is associated with the famous legend of Goddess Sati self-immolating herself after listening to her father, Daksha, insulting Lord Shiva. Bathukamma 2015 begins on October 13.
Daksha Prajapati was against her daughter Sati marrying Lord Shiva. He considered Shiva as a beggar who roams graveyards. But Sati who had understood that everything is Shiva – the Supreme Auspicious – wanted to marry him.
Finally, Daksha agreed to Sati marrying Shiva. But Daksha never accepted the importance of Lord Shiva and waited for an opportunity to insult him.
For this, Daksha decided to conduct a Yajna (ritual sacrifice) and invited all the people except Lord Shiva.
Sati wanted to know why her husband was not invited and went to the Yajna despite the warnings given by Shiva that the whole process of Yajna was to insult him.
At the yagna, Sati was not welcomed and respected. Instead Daksha showered insults on Lord Shiva. His rustic ways were ridiculed and Sati soon realized the folly of not listening to Lord Shiva. An insulted Sati could not bear the humiliation and she sat on the ground in Yajna hall meditating on Shiva the Yogi, one who is aware of the ways of the universe.
Soon she brought forth her inner fire and allowed it to consume her.
During the Bathukamma festival women pray for the return of Goddess Sati.
She later incarnated as Goddess Parvati and married Lord Shiva.
There are also numerous other legends of Bathukamma Panduga associated with a particular region. These are folklores often depicting the birth of miracle child – Goddess Shakti incarnating as a girl child.
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