Telangana 360

The annual Saleshwaram Jatara in the Nallamala forest area which comes under Amrabad Tiger Reserve  is celebrated every year on Chiatra Pournami or the Full Moon Day in April and is open to visitors for only 5 days.   Breath-taking views of the layered rock formations, deep valleys with spectacular views only found in the most exotic locations of the world. Saleshwaram is located 16 km away from  Farhabad forest checkpost  and t he temple comes under Appapur Gram Panchayat in Lingal mandal in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana, India. The ancient Sri Ramalingeshwara Swamy temple of 6th century AD, located deep inside Nallamala forest, is about 1,000 feet deep inside a valley. The scene of the temple in moonlight is a treat to the eyes and a blessing to the soul. The temple lies next to a beautiful waterfall, coming down from a height of over 200 metres. The water flows through the temple and the devotees take a holy dip in it before taking a climb into the Garbhagudi. The linga i

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

Dokra Metal craft is quite popular in the tribal regions of Telangana. Dhokra or Dokra also known as bell metal craft is a tribal metal craft widely seen in Jainoor Mandal, Adilabad District of Telangana.  Dhokra is an ancient bell metal craft practiced by the Ojha metal-smiths of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Telangana – the style and workmanship of the artisan community being different in different states. In Telangana, the Ojha artisans are also known as Wojaris or Ojjis who create brass metal art objects using the tedious but perfect lost wax technique while casting the metal.

Kamdev temple is located in Narnoor village and mandal, Adilabad District, Telangana State, India. This temple is dedicated to Kamdev and the tribal Jathara which starts in January every year attracts the Thodasam tribe from all villages across the district. Lord Kamadev is the God of Love and is the husband of Rati, the Goddess of Love. Kamadev is known as the Indian Cupid. He is the Hindu God of love and sexuality. Kama means sensuous love, wish, desire, longing or sexuality and Deva means heavenly or divine. In the Atharva-Veda, Kama is described as desire and not sexual enjoyment.

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.

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.

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