Old City Bonalu celebrations to begin in Hyderabad on Sunday

Hyderabad is set for the week-long Old City Bonalu celebrations beginning Sunday, with thousands of devotees expected at the Simhavahini Mahankali Temple in Lal Darwaza. Police have deployed 2,000 personnel to ensure smooth crowd management, traffic regulation and security

Hyderabad: The stage is set for the much-awaited Old City Bonalu celebrations, which will commence on Sunday and continue throughout the week before culminating in the grand Bonalu procession on August 11.

Thousands of devotees are expected to participate in the annual festivities, one of Hyderabad’s most vibrant and revered religious and cultural events.

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The highlight of the celebrations is the Bonalu festival at the historic Simhavahini Mahankali Temple at Lal Darwaza, where devotees, particularly women dressed in traditional attire, offer bonam to Goddess Mahankali as an expression of gratitude and devotion during the Ashada month.

Ahead of the celebrations, VC Sajjanar visited the Simhavahini Mahankali Temple on Friday, offered prayers and reviewed the security arrangements for the main Bonalu celebrations on August 10 and the grand procession the following day.

He directed officers to ensure effective crowd management, smooth traffic movement and adequate safety measures for devotees. Around 2,000 police personnel will be deployed across the temple premises, procession routes and other sensitive locations to ensure the festivities pass off peacefully.

The Simhavahini Mahankali Temple occupies a special place in Hyderabad’s history. According to historical accounts, the devastating Musi floods of 1908 claimed thousands of lives and left large parts of the city submerged. As the calamity unfolded, the then Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, is believed to have been advised by his Prime Minister, Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad, to seek the blessings of Goddess Mahankali.

The Nizam visited the Lal Darwaza temple, offered special prayers and presented a jewel-studded tilak to the deity. It is said that the floodwaters began to recede thereafter and, since then, the temple has remained an enduring symbol of hope and protection for the people of Hyderabad.

The temple derives its name from “Simhavahini”, a term meaning “the one who rides a lion”. The lion, regarded as a symbol of strength, courage and the triumph of good over evil, is closely associated with the goddess, who is revered as an incarnation of Durga or Mahakali.

Local legends also trace the temple’s origins to a divine vision in which the goddess appeared in a devotee’s dream and instructed that a shrine be built in her honour. Acting on the divine command, devotees established the temple.

Over the years, the temple has undergone several renovations while preserving its spiritual significance and architectural character.