Prominent Leaders Unite in Telangana for Mahakali Temple Prayers During Bonalu Festival

Top leaders, including BJP's Kishan Reddy and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, gathered at Mahakali temples for the Bonalu festival. This traditional festival sees devotees offering 'Bonam' to Goddess Mahakali as a form of thanksgiving. Special poojas and review meetings for festival arrangements were also held.

Telangana BJP President and Union Minister for Coal and Mines, Kishan Reddy, along with his family, offered prayers at the Mahakali temple in Amberpet on Sunday. This came after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and other ministers visited the Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad on July 21 to participate in the Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Bonala Jatara, widely known as the Bonalu festival.

In a significant moment, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and his family presented the first 'Bonam' to Ujjaini Mahakali in Secunderabad. The Bonalu festival, a long-standing Hindu tradition, primarily celebrated in Telangana, honors Goddess Mahakali. The celebration draws people from twin cities Hyderabad and Secunderabad, typically during July and August.

As part of the festival, devotees perform special poojas for Goddess Yellamma, another regional form of Mahakali. The festival features women preparing rice with jaggery in new earthen pots, decorated with turmeric, vermillion, and neem leaves. The pots, lit with a lamp on top, are then carried by the women to offer to the deity, along with bangles and a sari.

The Bonalu festival holds deep cultural significance, serving as a thanksgiving to Goddess Kali for answered prayers and fulfilled wishes. The term 'Bonam' originates from the Sanskrit word 'Bhojanam,' meaning feast in Telugu. On June 26, a review meeting was held in Golconda to finalize arrangements for this year's Bonalu festival, attended by Telangana Minister Konda Surekha, police, law and order officials, traffic authorities, and GHMC health officials.

(With inputs from agencies.)