Grand arrangements in place for Lashkar Bonalu at Ujjaini Mahakali temple

The 211-year-old Ujjaini Mahakali temple in Secunderabad is making elaborate arrangements for Lashkar Bonalu on August 2. Thousands of devotees are expected to participate, while temple authorities have planned dedicated queue lines and smooth crowd management for the celebrations.

Hyderabad: Arrangements are in full swing for the annual Lashkar Bonalu at the historic Ujjaini Mahakali temple, nestled in the heart of General Bazaar, Secunderabad. The festival will be held on August 2. With just a couple of days left for the event, one of the major festivals in Hyderabad’s calendar, the temple committee and the city administration are focusing on the smooth conduct of rituals and managing the expected turnout of devotees.

This year marks the 211th anniversary of the temple, which continues the sacred legacy of the Bonalu festival that began in 1815. Several legends are associated with the temple, which draws devotees not just from the city but from across the State and neighbouring States as well.

Executive Officer of Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Devasthanam Manohar Reddy traced the temple’s history and said it dates back to 1813, when a plague broke out and wreaked havoc across Secunderabad. A few days before the outbreak, a military battalion from Secunderabad under the Nizam’s army was transferred to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. One of its members was military doli-bearer Suriti Appaiah.

“There in Ujjain, Appaiah visited the famed Mahakali temple, prayed and sought the Goddess’s blessings. He took a vow to install an idol of Goddess Mahakali in Secunderabad if the epidemic was controlled. The disease later began to subside miraculously, and people recovered from the plague,” Manohar Reddy said.

After Appaiah returned to Secunderabad, he set up the temple and installed a wooden idol in July 1815. “Devotees believed Goddess Mahakali answered Appaiah’s prayers, and the local women began offering Bonalu as thanksgiving to the Goddess,” the EO said.

Later, in 1864, a black stone idol of Goddess Mahakali was installed and a spacious inner sanctum (garbhagriha) was built. “This historic temple now stands as one of the most powerful temples in Telangana, with approximately 10 lakh devotees offering Bonalu during Ashada masam,” he said.

Main Idol:

In the temple, the presiding deity appears in the Padmasana posture, holding a sword, a damaru (drum), a spear and a vessel of Amrut in her four hands, riding a lion and protected by a silver Vendi Kavacham (armour). An idol of Goddess Manikyalamma, discovered during the construction of the innermost sanctum, can be seen to the right of Goddess Mahakali.

Rangam on August 3:

Rangam, described as one of the most distinctive events of Bonalu, takes place on the temple premises, with an oracle standing atop an earthen pot and invoking Goddess Mahakali. This year, the Rangam is scheduled to be held at the temple on August 3 at 9 am.

Arrangements for Bonalu:

Elaborate arrangements are being made for Lashkar Bonalu, Manohar Reddy said. Six dedicated queue lines will be arranged for women devotees offering Bonalu to the Goddess, while four separate exit lines will be provided after the offering.