Plan your trip · Warangal
What's on in Warangal
Warangal's calendar mixes Telangana's own festivals with tribal traditions from the nearby forests. Two of them draw crowds from across the state, so check the dates before you book.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Warangal right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.
The year in Warangal
Warangal packs most of its outdoor calendar into the cooler months; the pre-monsoon peak is hot enough that daytime processions are genuinely hard going. Broadly, Oct – Mar is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.
Across Telangana
Bathukamma
🗓️ September–OctoberNine days of women's songs around stacked flower arrangements, floated on a lake or tank on the last evening.
Planning: Evening gatherings at temples and lakesides; visitors are welcome to watch.
Medaram Jatara
🗓️ February, every two yearsThe Sammakka–Saralamma tribal fair in the forest near Medaram, one of the largest gatherings in India.
Planning: Roads from Warangal jam for days; special buses run, and the non-fair years are quiet.
Nationwide
Diwali
🗓️ October–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.
Eid al-Fitr
🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each yearThe end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.
Makar Sankranti and Pongal
🗓️ mid-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Medaram Jatara (every two years)
The Sammakka Saralamma Jatara at Medaram, in the Mulugu forests roughly 100 km from Warangal, is one of the largest tribal gatherings in India. Every second year, the Koya community brings the goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma from the forest to their altars for four days. Pilgrims offer jaggery, which they call bangaram, or gold, equal to their own weight. The 2026 edition ran from 28 to 31 January, and the next is expected in early 2028. During the jatara, roads, buses and rooms across the district are stretched. Plan either to go deliberately or to avoid those dates.
Bathukamma
Bathukamma is Telangana's women's flower festival, held over nine days before Dussehra, usually September to October. Women build tall, cone-shaped stacks of seasonal flowers, gather in circles to sing around them, and float them on water at dusk. Warangal is one of its heartlands. The gatherings at the Bhadrakali Temple and Padmakshi hill are the ones to see.
Shakambari and Navaratri at Bhadrakali
In July, Bhadrakali hosts the Shakambari festival. The goddess is decorated with vegetables, and on the final day she is covered entirely in them. The temple also marks both Navaratris with daily decorations and long queues.
Maha Shivaratri
In February or March, Shivaratri brings night-long worship to the Shiva shrines at Ramappa and the Thousand Pillar Temple. Expect crowds and queues after dark.
Bonalu, Diwali and Sankranti
Bonalu processions to the local goddess temples happen in July and August, though on a smaller scale than in Hyderabad. Diwali and Sankranti, in mid-January, are family festivals here. Many shops close for a day, and buses fill with people going home.
Most of these festivals follow the lunar calendar, so confirm the year's dates before you book.
Questions
Warangal — FAQ
When is the next Medaram Jatara?
The jatara is held every two years. The 2026 edition ran from 28 to 31 January, so the next is expected in early 2028. Dates are announced by the temple and state authorities months ahead.
How far is Medaram from Warangal?
Roughly 100 km, through Mulugu district. During the jatara, special buses run, but traffic is extremely heavy, so allow far more time than usual.
Where can I see Bathukamma in Warangal?
At the Bhadrakali Temple and on Padmakshi hill in Hanamkonda, especially on the final day before Dussehra. Watch respectfully and ask before photographing women.
What is the Shakambari festival?
It is a festival at the Bhadrakali Temple, usually in July. The goddess is decorated with vegetables over several days, ending with a full covering on the last day.