HYDERABAD: Devotees dancing to loud drum beats, the scents of marigold, vermilion and sacred ash, and chants of Jai Matha Di marked the second day of Bonalu festivities at Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple on Monday. As the stage was set for the most awaited programme of the festival, people queued up in front of the screens to hear the oracle’s message.
Dressed in a yellow saree with turmeric on her face, Matangi Swarnalatha entered the temple, climbed onto a clay pot and began her prophecy. As the drums reached a crescendo, she went into a trance and warned that the state must remain cautious, predicting multiple fire-related accidents and a possible recurrence of a pandemic.
Swarnalatha, invoking the spirit of the goddess during the Rangam programme, urged people to show greater sincerity and devotion. She delivered a stern message: “Within four weeks, show me blood in front of me. If not, I won’t stay silent.”
She declared that the responsibility of protecting the country this year had come to her. Speaking with divine intensity, she expressed anguish over the public’s growing indifference and lack of spiritual discipline. “I carry all my children in my womb and protect them. But their parents abandon them without mercy,” she said.
Criticising superficial rituals, she added, “Every year, you make promises. But never once do you show true commitment.” However, she also prophesied that children would be happy, rains would be abundant, and crops would flourish. She instructed that Bonalu be observed for five weeks with traditional offerings such as pulses, jaggery, vermilion, fruits and neem leaves.
Following the prophecy, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar told reporters that the government would review the issue of sacrificial offerings, which had been banned earlier. He said the wishes expressed by Goddess Amma through the oracle would be respected, and all required rituals would be carried out by the Endowments department. Necessary arrangements would be made at the temple, which has existed since 1815.