HYDERABAD: The entire Secunderabad wore a festive look as thousands of devotees thronged the famous Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple and several other Mahankali temples on Sunday, July 25, 2021, to offer prayers to Goddess Mahankali on the occasion of Bonalu festival. Bonalu is an important Telangana festival held in the month of Ashadam, according to Hindu calendar. The festival is celebrated to ward off evil and usher in peace and harmony. The Telangana government had accorded the status of “State festival” to Bonalu after the formation of the State in June 2014.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of devotees, especially women, in traditional attire flocked to the temples in the morning to offer prayers. Hundreds of devotees thronged the famous Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple and offered prayers to the Goddess. The temple doors were thrown open early on Sunday morning and devotees kept pouring in a steady stream. Devotees from surrounding districts too visited the temple and offered prayers. Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav along with his family members offered the first ‘Bangaru Bonam’ to the goddess at Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Temple at 4 am on Sunday.
Later, Endowment Minister A Indrakaran Reddy and Minister Srinivas Yadav offered prayers and presented ‘Pattu Vastralu’ to the Goddess on behalf of the State government. The Ministers said that they prayed for an early end to Covid- 19 and for the welfare and prosperity of the people. Srinivas Yadav said that the government has made all the arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Bonalu festivities, and appealed to the people to follow all the Covid-19 precautions.
The wife of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Shobha, along with family members, visited the temple and offered Bonalu and silk robes. She was accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, Hyderabad Mayor Vijayalaxmi Gadwal, and other MPs, MLAs and corporators also offered their prayers. Lashkar Bonalu began on Sunday with a large number of devotees, especially women and young girls, dressed in traditional attire offered “Bonam” on their heads to various Mahankali temples in Secunderabad.
Procession to mark end of festival
The festival will conclude on Monday with Rangam (foretelling the future for the upcoming year) by a young unmarried woman, followed by a procession of Goddess Mahankali on a caparisoned elephant. Smeared with turmeric and vermilion, ‘Potharajus’ will dance to the rhythmic drumbeats during the procession that will pass through Secunderabad. An elephant named Menaka , who was brought in from Sri Veera Thapasvi Veerabhadra Shiva Charyaru Samasthanam Muth, Karnataka, will participate in the Bonalu procession at Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple.
Lockdown impacted celebrations in 2020
Public events during Bonalu were cancelled by the State government last year in view of the lockdown due to the pandemic. However, with the lifting of lockdown last month, the State government allowed people to participate in Bonalu festival this year