Grand Bathukamma fest today

Hyderabad: The city is all set for Bangaru Bathukamma to be, celebrated along the lines of the Goa Carnival and Mysore Dasara at Hussainsagar on Thursday. Six permanent Bathukamma ghats, at Sagar Park, Rotary Club, Sailing Club, Indiramma statue-NTR Marg and at the shore lines have been constructed and as many as 25,000 women are expected to participate.

Tight security cover has been arranged for the festivities and CCTV cameras have been set up at all the ghats. Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, accompanied by his family, will attend the celebrations.

The day will commence with 1,200 women gathering at the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium to create 10,000 Bathukammas, of which over 100 will be five feet tall. This picturesque extravaganza will also be India’s biggest and largest flower show created on a single day.

In the evening, the procession will head towards Tank Bund. The final day of the event will have 650 buses ferrying 25,000 women to Hussainsagar, led by Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha, and Deputy Speaker of the Telangana Assembly, Padma Devender Reddy.

Bathukamma, a prominent festival ahead of Dasara, is a historic festival embedded within the lives of women in Telangana. The festival is a celebration of womanhood and is an ode to the various emotions that women feel.

Bathukamma is a flower stack, arranged with seasonal flowers in seven concentric layers in the shape of a potter’s clay. It is now the designated state festival representing the culture of TS and signifies the Goddess Maha Gauri, the patron goddess of womanhood. The event at Hussainsagar will be presided over by the Governor and the Chief Minister. Eminent personalities, including sportspersons Jwala Gutta and P.V. Sindhu will also be attending the function.

Meanwhile Traffic to be restricted for celebrations

In view of Saddula Bathukamma on Thursday at LB Stadium and on Upper Tank Bund, the following traffic restrictions have been imposed

From 4 pm to 11.30pm
Vehicles coming from Secunderabad and going towards Upper Tank Bund will be diverted at Karbala Maidan-Bible House towards Kawadiguda-Lower Tank Bund.
Traffic from Kattamaisamma and Kawadiguda side, going towards Children’s Park-Upper Tank Bund, will not be allowed and diverted at DBR Mills towards Kawadiguda.
Traffic coming from Iqbal Minar and going towards Upper Tank Bund will be diverted at the Old Gate Secretariat on to the Telugu Talli flyover Kattamaisamma.
At AR petrol pump junction, vehicular traffic will not be allowed towards BJR statue and will be diverted towards Nampally or Ravindra Bharati.
Vehicles from Abids side will not be allowed towards BJR statue and Basheerbagh junction, and they will be diverted at SBH Gunfoundry towards Chapel Road.
Traffic from Old MLA quarters towards Basheerbagh will be diverted at Old MLA quarters towards Himayatnagar Y-junction.
Traffic from King Koti to Basheerbagh via Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, will be diverted at King Koti crossroads towards Taj Mahal.
Traffic from Old PCR towards Basheerbagh junction will be diverted at PCR towards Nampally Road.
Vehicles coming from Hill Fort will be diverted towards Nampally at old PCR junction and will not allowed towards Basheerbagh.
Traffic coming from Himayatnagar Y-junction towards Liberty will be diverted at Himayatnagar Y-junction towards Old MLA quarters.
Traffic coming from Punjagutta and Raj Bhavan road towards Khairtabad flyover will not be allowed beyond the Indira Gandhi statue circle towards NTR Marg.
Traffic between Nallagutta junction and Budha Bhavan will not be allowed.

Parking arrangements

Car: All invitees coming with ‘A’ and ‘B’ car passes can come from Secunderabad via Kawadiguda or Telugu Talli, Kattamaisamma and reach the Lower Tank Bund parking area. ‘C’ car pass invitees can come from Necklace Rotary and Karbala Maidan for their alighting point at Buddha Bhavan.

'A’ car pass invitees should alight at the mosque or Kawadiguda when coming from Secunderabad or Kattamaisamma. They should park their vehicles at Dhobi Ghaat and proceed by walk to function venue.
‘B’ car pass invitees should alight at the mosque near DBR Mill and their vehicles must be parked at Snow World. They must then walk to the venue.
‘C’ car pass holders must alight at Buddha Bhavan.

After the function gets over, all the A, B and C car pass holders will proceed to their respective alighting places. No invitees cars will be allowed without a valid car pass and all are advised to display their car passes. No vehicle will be permitted beyond Childrens’ Park junction. Vehicles will also not be allowed from LB Stadium towards Upper Tank Bund via Basheerbagh, Liberty, Ambedkar statue.

Buses: People coming on East and Central Zone buses must alight at Nizam College, while people coming on South Zone buses will alight at AR petrol pump. People coming on West Zone buses will alight at Ayakar Bhavan and People coming on North Zone buses will alight at BJR statue. The buses will be parked at NTR Stadium.