Bathukamma is supposedly a unique festival of Telangana region. The term 'bathuku' refers to 'life' in Telugu. The equivalent Kannada word is 'baduku'. And here lies the mystery.
The native Dravidian terms that start with 'b' in Kannada should start with 'v' in Telugu. I wonder why baduku is an anomaly here.
The aspects of the festival are starkly patriarchal and resemble Indo-Aryan festivals like 'Karva Chauth' or 'Raksha Bandhan', generally, not found in Dravidian lands. This festival is restricted to only a section of Telugus.
There are two strange things here.
1. The word doesn't follow regular Dravidian sound changes between Kannada and Telugu
2. The aspects of the festival appear alien to Dravidian ethos.
I wonder whether the term 'baduku' is derived from an Indo-Aryan word. Tamil and Malayalam tend to nativize the terms. However, Kannada and Telugu aren't that fastidious. But what about the festival?
The native Dravidian terms that start with 'b' in Kannada should start with 'v' in Telugu. I wonder why baduku is an anomaly here.
The aspects of the festival are starkly patriarchal and resemble Indo-Aryan festivals like 'Karva Chauth' or 'Raksha Bandhan', generally, not found in Dravidian lands. This festival is restricted to only a section of Telugus.
There are two strange things here.
1. The word doesn't follow regular Dravidian sound changes between Kannada and Telugu
2. The aspects of the festival appear alien to Dravidian ethos.
I wonder whether the term 'baduku' is derived from an Indo-Aryan word. Tamil and Malayalam tend to nativize the terms. However, Kannada and Telugu aren't that fastidious. But what about the festival?
