Pomp and gaiety mark Old City Bonalu fete

Shahalibanda: The annual Bonalu festivities took off on a grand note with lakhs of devotees converging and performing darshan at Mahankali temples in Old City. Thousands of women devotees carried Bonams to Samhavahini Sri Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza and Akkanna Maddanna Mahankali temple in Haribowli and other Mahankali temples in Old City on Sunday.

With temples wearing a festive look for the annual fete, women devotees from dawn started on their foot from the houses towards Mahankali temples, while carrying Bonams, which are earthen pots or metal vessels containing cooked rice, curd and jaggery in an earthen or a metal pot. Bonams are decorated with turmeric, neem leaves and a diya on it and is offered to Mahankali Matha.

Since early morning thousands of women devotees waited for their turn in long queues for offering Bonams at temples. The festivities started following the visit of Telangana State Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali and Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav at Samhavahini Sri Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza and Akkanna Maddanna Temple in Hari Bowli and offered Pattu Saree, bangles, flowers etc. to the Mahankali and performed Pooja on behalf of the State government. On this occasion lakhs of devotees were seen at Mahankali temples in Old City.

The star attraction happens to be the 'potharajus' coming in small processions from nearby areas and converging at the temples that have been decorated for the occasion.

Dignitaries visited temple

On the occasion of Bonalu festival actress and politician, Vijaya Shanti Srinivas and Indian badminton player, PV Sindhu carried Bonam and offered to Mahankali Matha in Lal Darwaza.

Union Minister of State and MP G Kishan Reddy, Endowments Minister Indrakaran Reddy, Nizamabad MP D Arvind, Karimnagar MP B Sanjay Kumar, MP former Home Minister Naini Narshimha Reddy, MLA (Goshamahal) T Raja Singh, RDOs Chandrakala and Srinivas Reddy, Former Minsters, V Hanumanth Rao, Ravula Chandrashekar Reddy and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, TJS Chairman Kondandaram and other dignitaries visited both temples.

Police arrangements

The city police made elaborate security arrangements for smooth conduct of the two-day festivities. Barricades were placed at the main entrance of the temple to restrict entry of other persons and also to maintain proper queues. CCTV cameras were installed at the temple and nearby areas. The devotees were allowed only after a thorough check and through the door frame metal detectors at the temple. More number of women constables was deployed to assist the devotees arriving at the temple. Around 2,000 police personnel were deployed like RAF (Rapid Action Force), Traffic police, Law and Order police, bomb squads etc. City Police Commissioner,

Anjani Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (L&O) D S Chauhan, DCP (Traffic) K Babu Rao, DCP South zone Amber Kishore Jha and other officers were inspecting the areas.

On this occasion, the Uppuguda RuB (railway under bridge) was opened for the festival. For taking out ghatams and women carrying Bonam's for smooth conduct of festival. As for past few years due to the pending works of RuB, during Bonalu festival, women devotees coming from Boiguda Chatrinaka temple to Mahankali temple located in Uppuguda were forced to walk extra 2 km to reach the temple.