Telangana360

Saleshwaram (Sarveshwaram Teertha Kshetra) is a mystical blend of spirituality, geology, and wilderness — a place where faith meets adventure. The chants of “Vastunna Lingamayya” echo through the valleys as thousands undertake this sacred trek seeking Lord Shiva’s blessings amid pristine nature. Hidden in the heart of Nallamala Hills, Saleshwaram is one of the most sacred and ancient forest shrines of Lord Shiva, known locally as Lingamayya. Accessible only during the annual Saleshwaram Jatara (April, Chaitra Pournami), it is considered the “Dakshina Amarnath Yatra” — a southern counterpart of Amarnath for devotees of Lord Shiva. The temple is set beside a spectacular perennial waterfall cascading from a height of over 200 feet, whose source remains a mystery. The water flows directly through the sanctum before merging into the valley stream. 📍 Location District: Nagarkurnool, Telangana Mandal: Amrabad / Lingal Nearest Gate: Farahabad Gate (Amrabad Tiger Reserve) Distance: ~25–30 km f...

Dokra (also spelled Dhokra) metal craft is one of the most fascinating tribal art forms of India, and it holds a special place in the cultural fabric of Telangana. This ancient art, renowned for its rustic beauty and timeless charm, is especially practiced in the tribal regions of Adilabad district. The craft derives its name from the Dhokra Damar tribes, traditional metal-smiths who create exquisite artifacts using the unique lost wax casting technique — a method that has remained unchanged for centuries. GI Tag (Geographical Indication) The Adilabad Dokra craft has received official international recognition by being awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. GI Tag Status : Awarded Year of Award : 2018 (specifically, the GI tag was accorded on March 28, 2018). Significance: The GI tag certifies that the product originates from the Adilabad region of Telangana and possesses a quality, reputation, or characteristic unique to that geographical area. This legal protection prevents ...

The Dandari-Ghusadi or Gussadi festival of Telangana is celebrated by the tribal communities of the Raj Gond and Kolam tribes. The Dandari-Ghusadi season is all about a robust dance festival that is celebrated for about 10 days during Deepavli.  The festival ends on Diwali day with the Ghusadi tado taking off their attire ritualistically. The celebrations usually begin with the tribals visiting the Padmalpuri Khako shrine at Gudirevu village of Dandepalli mandal in Mancherial district, on the banks of the Godavari river. On the occasion, the Adivasis present offerings to the river. They also end the festival at the Padmalpuri Khako as the shrine is of great importance for the people belonging to ethnic groups It starts on the day we see a crescent moon and end on the dark moon day. We start the festival by performing the Sakshe Akadi and end it on the Devadi day. Once the Sakshe Akadi is performed, the tribals would attain the festive spirits and the entire week would witness the f...

Bonalu is a folk festival for Mother Goddess , which is very famous and people love to celebrate this festival during rainy season month of Ashada around July/August and goes on usually for twenty-two days. A minimum of twenty days is conceptually required to fulfil the promises given to mother goddess by carrying out pooja on the very first day and last day. Bonalu derived from Bhojanalu meaning food , which is offered to mother goddess. Bonalu involves the worship of Mother Goddess in regional forms like Gangalamma, Ellamma/Yellamma, Mutyalamma, Mallanna, Maisamma, Peddhamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremma, Nookalamma and Samakka and Pochamma. Women carrying Bonalu are believed to possess the spirit of Mother Goddess, and when they go towards the temple, people pour water on their feet to pacify the spirit, who is believed to be aggressive. Every group of devotees offer a Thottelu (a small colorful, paper structure supported by sticks), as a mark of respect to the god...

Kinnera is a two-stringed instrument made using indigenous materials like bamboo, dried outer shell of round bottle gourd, honeycomb, bull horn, beads, mirrors and peacock feathers. Scholar and poet Jayadhir Thirumala Rao says that the origins of the kinnera can be traced back to “around the 4th century AD, in and around the Deccan plateau”. “The Chenchu tribe [also known as Chenchus or Chenchulu], who were part of the Nallamalla forest, used to play the instrument while singing and narrating ballads or stories of heroes,” said Rao. “The Dakkali tribe of Mahbubnagar district in Telangana [in the area near the Nallamalla forest] was performing it at least from the 12th century. The Dakkalis are a sub-caste of the Madiga caste, once considered outcastes.” The kinnera has several variations – it comes with seven, nine, 12 or 13 frets. The larger-sized ones have three resonators, while the smaller ones have only two. Much like the Saraswati veena, the instrument is made with organic mater...

Runza  or Runjha or Raunza or Runja is a percussion musical instrument and a rare folk art from Telangana and it belongs to the Vishwakarma community, who take it as a sacred commitment.  Avajamu, Dangaramu, Veeranamu are different synonyms for Ruza. A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Runja is a two-faced drum of the medieval times. It had a uniformly cylindrical body, 13½ inches long. Each face had a diameter of 8 inches, fitted with rings over the edge. Brass ia also used in the making of Runza. Its height is about 3 or 3 1/2 feet. The upper part is covered with goats skin, eleven holes are made above and below and eleven chord are tightly tied all over so as to make a sling (utter in Telugu). The Runzas bend the instrument slantwise, press it firmly with knee and by pulling ...

Devuni Gutta temple is located 2.5 km away from Kothur village, near Jangalapalli of Mulugu mandal in Mulugu district. It is only when one chats up with the villagers of Kothur that the temple is mentioned. The journey to reach this temple is as interesting as the temple itself. The temple is on a densely forested hill locally called ‘Devuni Gutta’. One has to walk from the village through a forest. About halfway up, the path becomes a water path — a stream or a rivulet that one can walk through. The watery path runs for a kilometre at least. Even as you enjoy the walk, you also get to see beautiful waterfalls at several places. Upon reaching the top of the hill, one comes upon this absolutely stunning temple with carvings on all four walls sitting snug within a lush green environ. It looks like it is made of bricks but up close one can see that the blocks are a mixture of sand and stone. Lime mortar was used for plastering. The carvings were made on these square and rectangle...

Peddagattu Jatara also called as Gollagattu Jatara iis a is the festival done in the name of Lord Lingamanthulu Swamy and Goddess Choudamma every 2 years n Durajpalli, Chivemla Mandal, Suryapet District, Telangana, India. It is celebrated prior to Maha Shivaratri in Magma masam the second biggest congregation of people after Medaram jatara in Jayashankar Bhupalpally. Atleast 25 lakh people are expected to take part in this event. The presiding deities, Sri Lingamanthula Swamy, believed an in carnation of Lord Shiva, and his sister – Choudamma, are offered various pujas during the five-day fete. Though primarily the Yadava community takes part in huge numbers, people from all castes and religions from across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu come to the place located just 5-km. from Suryapet. According to history, this religious congregation has been celebrated since 16th century. Even it is still been celeb...

A grand stepwell at Kichanapally, Sangareddy Imagine being in an arid, parched part of the youngest State of India. You badly want water, but all  you see is miles of nothingness. And suddenly you find several flights of stairs leading to water. No, its not a mirage! These are ‘step wells’ - wonderful structures that are now virtually forgotten. Stepwells in Telangana are found at old forts, temple complexes and on agricultural lands. They have also been political power centres.

Sankranti means transmigration of the Sun from one Rashi (constellation of the zodiac in Indian astronomy) to the next. Hence, there are 12 Sankrantis in a year. Why is it called Makar Sankranti? On Makar Sankranti, the sun enters the sun-sign of Capricorn or Makara (the Indian rashi). Therefore the 'Makar' in the name. Thus, the name of the festival literally means the movement of the sun into Capricorn. Though extremely popular as Makar Sankranti, the festival is predominantly a harvest festival and is celebrated throughout India, from north to south and east to west. While Makar Sankranti is most popular in West India, down south, the festival is known as Pongal and in the north, it is celebrated as Lohri. Uttarayan, Maghi, Khichdi are some other names of the same festival. Makar Sankranti Festival is observed every year in the month of January falls on 14th or 15th . Most Hindu festivals follow the position of the moon and are based on the lunar calendar. T...

Festival season for Adivasis has begun with ‘Bheemalpen’ festival which is popular as Bheemanna pujalu and they take ‘Devul’ (wooden deities) for bathing at sacred place ‘Demmala rajul’ near Dhammannapet in Utnoor mandal. Adivasis celebrate Bheemalpen festival in the month of ‘Margashira’ every year. Adivasis are busy in celebrating their traditional festivals these days in the district. Adivasis of Asifabad take their Devul to ‘Khariyar’ and Kerameri to ‘Patteda’, Tiryani to Danthanpalli ganga, Narnoor to Gundala ganga, Indravelli to ‘Pulikakchar’ and Adivasis of Neredigonda bathe their wooden deities in the Kuntala waterfalls. Most of the Adivasi jataras will follow their festivals in the Adilabad district. Adivasis do their cooking with the new crops or beans like ‘chikkudu’, ‘Anapa’, pulses like redgram, rice only after performing special puja called Satti to the Bheemalpen. Adivasis festivals continue with Jangubai to be held from January 11- February8 in the dense f...

Kamdev or Khamdev temple is located in Narnoor village and mandal, Adilabad District, Telangana State, India. This temple is dedicated to Khamdev and the tribal Jathara which starts in January every year attracts the Thodasam tribe from all villages across the district. The Thodasam clan honours Lord Khamdev as their personal God. The clan has a custom where one of the paternal sisters must consume a lot of handmade sesame oil over the course of three years at the yearly festival. Adivasis believe that this ritual helps fulfil their dreams and brings about positive changes in their lives, which is why it is performed once every three years. They believe that carrying forward the tradition will provide good produce to farmers and will bring happiness and harmony to the community. According to them, the tradition began way back in 1961. Since then, as many as 20 paternal sisters of the clan have fulfilled the tradition successfully. The five-day-long annual festival is held on the day...

The sparsely populated hilly confines of Kota-Parandoli gram panchayat on the Telangana-Maharashtra border in Kerameri mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district will come alive on December 31 when the sacred month-long Jangubai pilgrimage of Adivasis gets underway. Thousands of aboriginal Gonds, Kolams and Pardhans of Adilabad and neighbouring districts will visit the ancient cave temple of the most revered Goddess Jangubai situated in picturesque locale of a hillock by the side of a hill stream. Despite the onslaught of modern times, nothing much has changed in these parts and one gets a feeling of being transported back in time when approaching the sacred cave.

Keslapur Nagoba Jatara  is a tribal festival held in Keslapur village, Inderavelly Mandal Adilabad district, Telangana, India. It is the second biggest tribal carnival and celebrated by Mesaram clan of Gond tribes for 10 days. Tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesram clan offer prayers at the festival. The Nagoba Jatara starts in pushya masam in every year according to English to the English months December to January. Every year, in the winter months of December/January, the Mesram clan of Raj Gonds and Pardhan Adivasis in the North of Telangana State make preparations for their most important religious and cultural festival, the Keslapur-Nagoba Jatara. The event is unique as it serves as a link between the present and the past, where customs and traditions that centuries old survive even today, underscoring the importance of solidarity within their community. 15 days before gond people bring Godavari river wate...

Bathukamma is a colourful and vibrant festival of Telangana and celebrated by women, with flowers that grow exclusively in each region. This festival is a symbol of Telangana’s cultural identity. Bathukamma comes during the latter half of monsoon, before the onset of winter. The monsoon rains usually brings plenty of water into the fresh water ponds of Telangana and it is also the time when wild flowers bloom in various vibrant colors all across the uncultivated and barren plains of the region. The most abundant of these are the ‘gunuka poolu’ and ‘tangedu poolu’. There are other flowers too like the banti, chemanti, nandi-vardhanam etc. Bathukamma is celebrated by the women folk of Telangana, heralding the beauty of nature in vibrant colors of multitudinous flowers Bathukamma festival is celebrated during Durga Navratri. Bathukamma festival begins on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the festival continues till nine days, ending on the day of Durgashtami. Bathukamma means 'Mother G...

Perini Shivatandavam (Perini Sivatandavam) or Perini Thandavam is an ancient dance form originated and prospered in Telangana during the Kakatiya dynasty.Perini is performed by males and it is believed that in ancient times this was performed before the soldiers set to war. Nataraja Ramakrishna was the person who revived this art form recently. Perini Dance form was developed at the time of Ganapathi deva, the king of Kakatiya Empire.The Perini Thandavam is a dance form usually performed by males. It is called 'Dance of Warriors'. Warriors before leaving to the battlefield enact this dance before the idol of Lord Śiva (Shiva). The dance form, Perini, reached its pinnacle during the rule of the 'Kakatiyas' who established their dynasty at Warangal and ruled for almost two centuries. The Perini Thandavam, Telangana It is believed that this dance form invokes 'Prerana' (inspiration) and is dedicated to supreme dancer, Lord Siva. One can find evidence of this dance ...

Samakka Sarakka Jathara or Medaram Jathara, a little festival of tribal origin in Telangana has become a major pilgrimage. The Samakka festival is held every two years at in Medaram Village of Tadvai Mandal deep in the heart of the thick forests of Mulugu district. The population of the little forest village at Medaram in normal times never exceeds 300. Suddenly, during the month of February it rises to over 3500000! Millions of devotees come from all over Telangana and neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. This festival is held in memory of a Koya tribal queen called Samakka who fought against the medieval dynasty of the Kakatiyas who ruled from Warangal between 1000 A.D.-1380 A.D. approximately. The Telangana region over the centuries has come to be identified as a symbol of defiance and dissent, thanks to the legacy of Sammakka and Sarakka who defied the mighty Kakatiya rulers. It served as a source of inspiration for many people's mov...