Hyderabad, August 5, 2013: The two-day annual Bonalu festival was held in the Old City on Sunday with gaiety and traditional fervour. The celebrations began in the early hours of the day with special pujas at all major temples even as devotees made a beeline to the temples to offer prayers.

Women dressed in traditional costumes visited the temples to offer ‘bonam’ containing cooked rice, jaggery and curd to the deities.

The day was also marked by the appearance of ‘Potaraju’ who performed to the general applause and the ever-present ‘teen maar’ beats. Old City wore a festive look as the area was adorned by hoardings and vinyl posters while different organisations set up ‘pandals’ to distribute sweetmeats and water packets.

Heavy rush was seen at Simhavahini Mahankali temple, Lal Darwaza, and Akkana Madanna temple, Haribowli, apart from the temples in areas like Uppuguda, Aliabad, Gowlipura, Dhoolpet and Hussainialam.

A string of VIPs including Deputy Chief Minister N. Damodar Rajanarsimha, Ministers J. Geetha Reddy, M. Mukesh Goud and K. Jana Reddy, Secunderabad MP M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, TRS legislator K. Tarakarama Rao, BJP State president G. Kishan Reddy, city police commissioner Anurag Sharma, visited Akkana Madanna temple and Simhavahini Mahankali temple.

The festival will conclude on Monday with a procession led by a caparisoned elephant, carrying ‘ghatam’ of Goddess Mahankali. The procession will pass through the main thoroughfares of Shalibanda, Pathergatti, Charminar and Nayapul where the ‘ghatam’ will be immersed in the Musi.

Source: The Hindu, DT. August 5, 2013.