Hyderabad, Oct 13 (IANS): Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's wife Shobha, daughter-in-law Shailima, and other women family members participated in Bathukamma festivities on Wednesday.

Shobha, Shailima, wife of state minister K.T. Rama Rao, and others played Bathukamma at Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of the chief minister.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has greeted people on the eve of Saddula Bathukamma, the last day of the Poola Bathukamma.

He expressed happiness over the way women in Telangana have celebrated the nine-day festival with floral tributes to Bathukamma, and the way they worshipped Mother Nature amidst happiness and celebrated the state festival with all the gaiety.

He urged people to take inspiration from Bathukamma and protect and preserve Mother Nature, environment and the water resources.

The floral festival of Telangana, which began on October 6, will end on October 14.

Women sing and dance around specially arranged flowers during the folk festival. Ever since the formation of Telangana in 2014, Bathukamma is being celebrated as the state festival.

The Chief Minister's daughter and state legislator K. Kavitha has been playing a key role in promoting the festival.

This year, Telangana Jagruthi, headed by Kavitha, brought together music maestro A.R. Rahman and filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon for a song on Bathukamma.

According to Telangana Jagruthi, Bathukamma festival is an integral part of Telangana and it identifies with the cultural identity of the people from the state across the globe.