Devotees throng Golconda Fort in Hyderabad for Bonalu festival rituals

The Bonalu festival began on Thursday at Golconda Fort’s Jagadambika temple with the first main puja of the Ashada month. Celebrations will continue until July 24 and spread to other temples including Ujjaini Mahankali and Akkana Madanna temples

Hyderabad: The Bonalu festival’s first main puja for the Ashada month began on Thursday at the Goddess Jagadambika Ammavaru temple inside the Golconda Fort. Attired in their traditional best, hundreds of devotees made a beeline to the renowned temple to offer Bonam to Goddess Jagadambika.

The roads leading to the temple at Golconda Fort buzzed with the rhythmic drum beats and festive revelry, as Pothurajus and devotees made their way to the temple. To ensure public safety and smooth flow of traffic at strategic points approaching Golconda, extensive police and traffic personnel were deployed.

A heavy presence of traffic and police personnel was witnessed at Golconda Fort, Langar Houz, Fateh Darwaja, Shaikpet Nala and Banjara Darwaja.

The Bonalu celebrations at Jagadambika temple in Golconda Fort will continue throughout the month until July 24. Apart from Thursday, the Golconda Bonalu celebrations festival will be held on June 29, July 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20 and 24.

While the Bonalu festival kicks off at Golconda Fort on Thursday, the celebrations then spread to various major temples across Hyderabad. Throughout the coming Saturdays and Sundays of July, a large number of temples will host Bonalu festivities. The Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad (known as Lashkar Bonalu) and the Akkana Madanna temple in Old City are also historically significant temples and witness truly grand Bonalu festivities.