Bonalu celebrations begin at Golconda Fort with vibrant processions, rituals and heavy footfall
The annual Bonalu festivities began at the Golconda Fort on Sunday, with thousands of devotees thronging the Sri Jagadambika Temple to offer bonam amid elaborate
The annual Bonalu festivities began at the Golconda Fort on Sunday, with thousands of devotees thronging the Sri Jagadambika Temple to offer bonam amid elaborate rituals, colourful processions and heightened security arrangements. The celebrations at Golconda mark the beginning of the month-long Bonalu festivities across Hyderabad and Secunderabad. On Sunday morning, the imposing entrance of the historic fort was transformed into a sea of devotees. Thousands streamed through the gates, many leaving their footwear outside before walking barefoot up the hill to the temple. The partly cloudy skies offered some respite from the summer heat during the first half of the day, making the climb more comfortable for devotees.
Women dressed in traditional attire carrying decorated pots containing cooked rice, jaggery, curd and neem leaves on their heads made a beeline to the temple to offer bonam to Goddess Jagadambika Mahankali. The rhythmic beats of dappu drums, energetic performances by Potharajus and vibrant folk artistes added to the festive atmosphere, while devotees queued up from the early hours for darshan. “We have been coming here for the last 10 years. Every year we come early, but today we got delayed and reached around 10 a.m. We are now heading to the temple at the top to offer prayers.
If you come early, it usually takes about an hour to climb, but with the rush increasing, it will now take nearly two hours,” said Subhadra, a devotee from Hydershakote. The weather changed dramatically around 3.30 p.m., as dark clouds gathered over the fort, followed by rainfall that briefly drenched the hilltop. Many devotees took shelter under the fort walls before resuming their pilgrimage once the rain subsided. Drinking water facilities, medical camps, sanitation services, barricading, parking facilities and traffic diversions were put in place to facilitate the smooth conduct of the celebrations. Security was also stepped up across the fort premises with a large deployment of police personnel to manage crowds and ensure public safety.
Among the unexpected visitors was Aditya from Mumbai, who was in Hyderabad for a business meeting. “My flight back to Mumbai is tonight, so I decided to visit a few places in the city. Although I couldn’t make it to the top of the fort because of the crowd, I still got to experience the festive atmosphere. It is something many people outside Telangana are not aware of,” he said.
The BriefWire