A riot of color, devotion and drumbeats: Bonalu attracts lakhs to Ujjaini Mahankali temple

The centuries-old Bonalu pageant reached a vibrant excessive on the Sri Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad on Sunday, drawing lakhs of devotees from throughout Telangana for considered one of its most important days of celebration.

From the early hours of the morning, devotees started queuing up alongside the roads resulting in the temple, with crowds stretching so far as Sarojini Devi Road. With bonams (earthen pots crammed with rice cooked in milk and jaggery, accompanied by curd, sugar, and turmeric water) balanced on their heads, ladies provided prayers to the goddess.

A significant spotlight of the day’s festivities was the spirited efficiency by the Potharajus, bare-chested males daubed in turmeric and vermillion, dancing to the beat of conventional drums. Separate queues have been created for girls devotees and barricades put in alongside the path to handle the heavy footfall.

Around 11:30 a.m., Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy arrived on the temple, providing pattu vastralu (silk robes) to the deity and performing particular pujas. He obtained theertha prasadam and blessings from the temple clergymen and was welcomed with conventional Poornakumbham.

Earlier within the day, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Union Minister for Coal and Mines G.Kishan Reddy, accompanied by their households, additionally paid their respects on the temple. Several different dignitaries, together with MPs Anil Kumar Yadav and Etala Rajender, Medchal MLA Malla Reddy, Sanathnagar MLA T. Srinivas Yadav and Hyderabad District Collector Hari Chandana Dasari have been current on the event.

With lakhs of devotees anticipated, civic and temple authorities had undertaken elaborate preparations. Five medical camps have been established close to the temple, every stocked with important medicines and staffed by educated medical personnel. Drinking water factors have been arrange alongside all main strategy routes, and sanitation employees have been deployed to make sure cleanliness all through the realm.

“We had provided prayers final yr for my son’s admission right into a grasp’s programme within the US. Now that our prayers have been answered, we now have come right here to supply gratitude,” mentioned Sangeeta Yadav, a resident of Tarnaka.

However, the passion of many devotees was briefly dampened on account of restricted temple entry brought on by heavy VIP motion. At sure checkpoints, minor scuffles broke out as police personnel tried to manage the gang, stopping some folks from continuing. Public bulletins have been revamped loudspeakers urging VIP automobiles to not park in areas designated for pilgrims and to vacate congested spots promptly.