Hyderabad celebrates bonalu with fervour

Hyderabad is buzzing with festive fervor as all Mahankali temples in the city, including those in the Old City, celebrate Bonalu on a grand scale on Sunday.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad is buzzing with festive fervor as all Mahankali temples in the city, including those in the Old City, celebrate Bonalu on a grand scale on Sunday. The temples and their surroundings are adorned with special lighting and colorful arches.

Hundereds of devotees from Telangana and neighboring states gather at Lal Darwaza Shree Simhavahini Ammavari Bonalu Mahotsav on Sunday, marking the 116th anniversary of the celebrations at the temple.

The main attractions include the Lal Darwaza Mahankali temple and the historic Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple in Hari Bowli, along with other prominent temples in Gowlipura, Uppuguda, Aliabad, and more.

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka along with his family presented “pattu vastralu” (silk clothes) to the Goddess on behalf of the government. Minister Komati Reddy and Union Minister Kishan Reddy also offered silk clothes at Charminar and Amberpet. Temple committees have arranged separate queues for women to offer ‘Bonam’—cooked rice, jaggery, curd, and neem leaves—to Goddess Mahankali.

The festivities will culminate on Monday with the oracle prediction, Rangam, at 1 pm at the Akkanna Madanna temple, followed by a grand procession featuring a caparisoned elephant carrying the ‘Ghatams’ of Goddess Mahankali.