About Basavanna the ceremonial Ox decorated for door-to-door exhibition during Sankranti.

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Makara Sankranti festival is today. It is a major festival for us in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is observed with social festivities such as bonfires, bathing in holy rivers, offering prayers to Gods at home, visiting temples, colourful decorations, Rangoli, Bhogi Pandlu blessings for children, Kite flying, traditional snacks, feasts and fairs.  

Another common site one looks for, from a few days ahead of Sankranti is Haridasulu and Gangireddu vallu with Basavanna. Haridasu is one who goes from house to house singing songs and seeking alms. We believe that Haridasu's melodious rendition of Sundarakanda or Bhagavatam on Sankranti brings a new auspicious beginning in our lives. We do not see them in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad but they were a common sight for us during our three decades stay at Kothagudem close to Bhadrachalam… the temple of Sri Sita Ramachandraswamy at Bhadrachalam is a must-visit place for Haridasulu around this time.

This brief article is about Basavanna that is Gangireddu, the ceremonial Bull (Ox) decorated for door-to-door exhibition during Sankranti to bless people and for collecting charities. The people who bring Basavanna to our houses, playing music, are Gangireddu vallu.  The Bulls are decorated with colourful clothes, colours and ornaments. They are trained to do some actions as per the instructions of the master, to bow down to say Namaskaram, nodding their head to say yes or no to questions put to them, a little bit of dancing and so on. Basavanna is also called Du Du Basavanna.

There is a phrase in Telugu “Gangireddulaga thala upadam (గంగిరెద్దులాగ తలూపడం)”, which means ‘nodding head like a Gangireddu', without proper understanding of the matter.

 The return of Gangireddu during every Sankranti to our houses is considered a good sign, a blessing for happiness and prosperity. The music that they play is heard from a distance and people would come out to welcome and pray to Basavanna. The Gangireddu person would bless us on behalf of the bull, all the Gods and our forefathers by reciting their names. And we offer old clothes, money and food grains to them.  

This rich centuries-old traditional art form, a vigorous combination of the bull and human coordination skill, is one of the prime attractions for everyone and especially for children.

You may see the attached video and photographs for a better understanding of this tradition.