Festivals - Hyderabad

Local Festivals

The festival mainly belongs to or has been originated in the Telangana region and is hence, very special to the locals there. Celebrated with liveliness and enthusiasm, this festival continues for a month. The idol of the Goddess Batkamma is worshipped during this time. It is then left afloat gently on the rivers and lakes.

The Telangana area also plays host to another widely known festival that falls on Asvija Shuddha Dasami (Sep/Oct), called Batkamma Panduga. Celebrated for nine days in a row, this festival is dedicated to a married Vaisya woman, who was killed by her own brother at the instigation of his wife. Legend has it that the victim was reborn in her grave as a flowering tree.

During both these celebrations, there are dance performances, music, dramas and a variety of entertainment as thousands of tourists and locals too, flock to witness the happenings.

Religious Festivals

Also famous as the harvest festival, it is believed that Sankranti marks the entry of the sun into the northern hemisphere. Sacred to the Hindus, the Sun God is worshipped on this day. Kite Flying is also considered auspicious and rangoli forms the major attraction of any household's doorstep. This is a three-day festival cele celebrated with much pomp and splendour. It generally falls in mid-January.In January the streets of Hyderabad are bustling with seasonal lingo. With Sankranthi, the festival of kites, many places in the twin cities are brimming with kite-flyers, literally. The Annual Kite Festival is organised at Shilparamam and some other parts of the City. There are many sporting kite flyers around to take the challenge. Various sizes of kites are on display from the palm sized small ones to the huge 'Takhthe ka patang'. 'Maanja', 'kheench', 'pench', 'dheel' -- it's time for the 'Patang' talk. The charkas get stripped of the thread as it is spun around the thumb and the small finger in a fascinating style. Very striking are the names too. A whole range is unfolded for the season as kite enthusiasts jostle, push and indulge in hectic bargain for their choicest stuff. The Sankranthi festive occasion is really a fun-filled one where all people starting from the common man to the elite take part with lots of fun and frolic.

It is celebrated in the months of March and April and is also famous as the Telugu New Year. House-cleaning, painting, decorating with mango leaves forms a major part of the celebration process performed in each household. Mahashivratri is celebrated in the months of February and March. The festival is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. It is held to acquire the blessings of the Lord through fasts and penance.

Diwali/Deepavali

Diwali, the festival of lights is no exception. The Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi, is the main deity worshipped during this festival.

It is the festival of Ganesha, the pot bellied, elephant headed son of Shiva. The Brahmotsavam in September-October and the Rathotsavam are also among the popular festivals of this place. Muharram, celebrated in Hyderabad, is very popular as the morning ong of Benaras and the evening of Oudh.

Bakrid
It is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and religious fervor. Prayers are offered in the mosques and in iddgahs. Meeralam and Madannapet iddgahs are some of the famous iddgahs in the twin cities, where special prayers are offered during the festivals of Ramzan and Bakrid. Thousands gather near Charminar to offer idd prayers in Mecca Masjid and the entire area from Madina circle to Mecca Masjid is cordoned off during the prayer time. Muslims wear new clothes and apply itr (perfume) and soorma on the eve of Bakrid.

Ramzan
The holy month of Ramzan is a special occasion in the life of a Muslim. Muslims fast the whole month and at the end of it they celebrate the Ramzan with joy. Fasting during this month is considered as the third pillar of Islam. In the twin cities, most of the busy shopping areas like Abids, SP Road, Sultan Bazar and Pathergatti will be bustling with shopping activity. Burqa clad woman browsing through the shops is a common sight in all these places. For many, Ramzan shopping is incomplete if the Old City is not visited. The real Ramzan action is seen in the Charminar area. As one wades through the crowds at majestic Charminar, which is the hub of all activities, one will come across rows of well lit and decorated shops, eye-catching banners, and shops wooing customers