HYDERABAD: The celebration of Bonalu festival was a low key affair here on Sunday due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.
Dancing by ‘potharajus’ and pulsating ‘teen maar’ beats, which are regular features of the festival, were missing this time.
Also missing were the folk dancers who perform to traditional music on streets leading to the temples.
Majority of the Mahankali temples, including historic temples in old city were decorated with colourful flowers and buntings, and lit with LED lights for the festival.
However, devotees were not permitted to offer ‘Bonam’ to Goddess Mahankali. They were also not allowed to enter into temples and were asked to worship from outside.
The state government too had appealed to devotees to celebrate the festival at their homes and avoid large congregations at temples.
Many temples across the old city including the Simhavahini Sri Mahankali Devalayam at Lal Darwaza and the Akkanna Madanna temple at Hari Bowli and Yellammain temple in Balkampet remained out of bounds for devotees.
The roads leading to the temples were barricaded by the police. Nevertheless, the devotees dressed up in traditional attire, visited local temples in their neighbourhoods and offered Bonam.
Devotees turned up at many temples in the old city.
The festival was celebrated on a sombre note outside of the old city. G Niranjan, patron, Akkaanna temple committee said due to the pandemic, the temple was shut to the general public.
“All regular rituals and ‘poojas’ were performed by the temple priest and ‘pattu vasthram’ was offered to the deity by the State Endowments Department,” he said.
As a practice, the committee of Akkanna Madanna temple takes out a procession on a caparisoned elephant, carrying ‘ghatam’ of Goddess Mahankali.
However this year the police did not accord permission for the procession, Niranjan added.