Ujjaini Mahakali temple witnesses unprecedented crowd during Lashkar Bonalu this year

Thousands of devotees thronged the Ujjaini Mahakali temple in Secunderabad for the Lashkar Bonalu festival on Sunday, with long queues and complaints about VIP entries. Despite the crowds, police reported peaceful celebrations, supported by AI-based surveillance for the first time.

Hyderabad: A festive atmosphere prevailed at the Ujjaini Mahakali temple in Secunderabad with devotees in large numbers lining up to present Bonam to the mother goddess since the early hours of Sunday.

Amid complaints from devotees about lack of proper arrangements, the queues at the temple stretched long with women carrying Bonam on their heads waiting for their turn to enter the temple

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Some women devotees complained of having to wait for more than two hours for their turn to enter the temple. Several others criticised the VIP entries impacting the common devotees. Temple authorities said till 7 pm, around 3 lakh devotees prayed and several were still waiting in the queues.

Popularly known as Laskhar Bonalu, the festivities commenced early on and continued through the day. Clad in festive finery, women devotees outnumbered the men and several of them accompanied by Potharajus trooped in from different parts of the twin cities.

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, who offered prayers at Ujjaini Mahankali Temple along with his family, later speaking to media persons said the Bonalu festivities at Golconda and Balkampet concluded without any untoward incidents, while the celebrations at the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple and Lal Darwaza were currently being conducted in a grand and peaceful manner.

Around 2,500 police personnel have been deployed for security during the Ujjaini Mahankali Bonalu celebrations. In a first for the event, the Hyderabad City Police have introduced an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based crowd management and surveillance system at the temple to enhance public safety.