HYDERABAD: The Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad resonated with chants of “Jai Mahankali”, the rhythmic beat of dappu drums and the sight of women carrying bonams as lakhs of devotees gathered to celebrate Bonalu on Sunday.
Worshippers from across Hyderabad and neighbouring districts began arriving from around 5 am to offer prayers. Those who reached early completed darshan within an hour, but by 8 am the queues had swelled, stretching nearly a kilometre up to Sarojini Devi Road.
Many devotees said they waited four to five hours as the queues were repeatedly halted during VIP visits. Standing in the open in temperatures of around 30°C, several elderly devotees and families with children found the wait difficult. Rain later in the day brought relief to those in the queues.
“We don’t mind waiting for darshan, but the queue stopped several times because of VIP movements. We were here for nearly five hours with elderly family members. Common devotees should not have to wait this long,” said P Kavitha from Rasoolpura.
Women carrying bonams — earthen pots filled with rice cooked in milk and jaggery along with offerings of curd, sugar and turmeric water — made their way to the shrine, while Potharajus, their bodies smeared with turmeric and vermilion, danced through the streets to the beats of traditional drums.
“We reached at 6 am and finished darshan within an hour. By the time we came out, the queues had become much longer,” said Deepa from LB Nagar.
Police erected barricades, arranged separate queues for women and deployed volunteers for crowd management.
For many, the pilgrimage is an annual tradition. “We have been coming here every year since 2018. Bonalu feels incomplete without offering prayers at the Ujjaini Mahankali temple,” said K Rekha from Uppal.
AI deployed for crowd management
Around 2,500 police personnel have been deployed for the Bonalu celebrations at the Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said on Sunday. He said the city police have, for the first time, deployed an AI-powered crowd management and surveillance system integrating CCTV cameras with facial recognition to identify habitual offenders. The system also monitors queues and crowd density, issuing alerts to prevent overcrowding. He said police are coordinating with officials with the endowments, GHMC and other agencies to ensure smooth festivities.