Bonalu Festival celebrated in Telangana State is a Hindu festival where Goddess Mahakali is worshiped. This festival is held every year during Ashada Masam in July/ August. This festival is celebrated for a month and on the first and the last day special poojas are performed for the goddess Yellamma.
During the festival, women prepare rice cooked along with Milk and jaggery in a brass pot or Earthern. They then carry these earthen on their heads to offer the Bonam (Meal in Telugu) to the goddess along with Bangles and Saree. Women also dress up in traditional Sari with jewels and other accessories. The festival starts at Golcanda where the women carry Bonalu believed to possess the spirit of the Mother Goddess.
Bonalu Festival Highlights
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Particulars |
Details |
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Name |
Bonalu Festival |
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Dates 2024 |
July 7 - August 4, 2024 |
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Dates 2025 |
July and August 2025 (to be updated) |
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Venue |
Hyderabad and Secunderabad |
Places of Celebration
- First Sunday of Aashaadam - Celebrations begin at Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.
- Second Sunday - Celebration continues to Bakampet Yellamma temple in Balkampet. Followed by Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secundrabad.
- Third Sunday - At the Pochamma and Katta Maisamma temple near Chilkalguda and the Matheswari temple of Lal Darwaza in the Old City of Hyderabad.
- The festival is also celebrated at Akkanna Madanna temple in Haribowli and Muthyalamma temple in Shah Ali Banda.
Things To Explore
- Feast: At the Bonalu festival there are divine offerings to the Mother goddess in the form of Bonam and families then share these offerings with other guests also.
- Rangam: Or the Oracle Performance, takes place after the actual festival on the next morning. This custom is performed by a woman who invokes the Goddess Mahankaali on herself. When devotees enquire about the future, she predicts the coming year.
- Ghatam: Ghatam refers to a copper pot decorated in the shape of a mother goddess and carried by a priest wearing a traditional dhoti and his entire body smeared with turmeric. The Ghatam is carried in procession from the first day of the festival until the last day when it is immersed in water. The Ghatam plays alongside the drums.
- Fair and Markets: You can shop for local items, toys, and foods at the stalls near the temples.
- Cultural Programs: Experience folk dance and music concerts during the festival.
How to Reach
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Particulars |
Details |
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Airport |
GMR Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, (35 km) |
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Railway Station |
Nampally (1 km) |
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Bus Stops |
Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stop (City Center) Jubilee Bus Stop (Secundrabad) |