By Raghu Paithari

Copyright telanganatoday

Karimnagar: Engilipula Bathukamma, marking the first day of the nine-day floral festival, was celebrated with traditional fervour across the erstwhile Karimnagar district on Sunday.
Women and girls, dressed in colourful sarees and adorned with jewellery, gathered in their neighbourhoods to celebrate Bathukamma. They sang traditional songs while circling the flower arrangements before immersing them in nearby water bodies.
Municipal corporations, municipalities and gram panchayats made special arrangements for the festivities, including cleaning the grounds, providing lighting and other basic facilities at Bathukamma venues.
Flower markets were packed in the morning as people thronged to buy Gunugu, Thangedu, Gummadi, Banthi and Chamanthi flowers, all essential for preparing Bathukamma arrangements.