Bonalu draws lakhs to Secunderabad temple, queues stretch for a kilometre

Secunderabad witnessed large turnouts on Sunday as lakhs of devotees thronged the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple for the annual Bonalu festival. Despite the afternoon heat, queues stretched for nearly a kilometre along the roads leading to the temple, with many devotees waiting for hours to offer prayers to Goddess Mahankali.

Devotees began arriving as early as 5 a.m., and those who came in the early hours managed to complete their darshan relatively quickly. By 8 a.m., the crowds had swelled considerably, leading to longer waiting times. Many devotees spent hours in queues under the sun, though arrangements were in place to manage the flow.

Women carrying bonams — earthen pots containing rice cooked with milk and jaggery, along with offerings such as curd, sugar, and turmeric water — made their way to the temple to present them to the goddess. The crowds extended as far as Sarojini Devi Road, with devotees lining the streets from the early morning.

“We arrived at 6 a.m. and completed our darshan within an hour. The crowd now looks much bigger than it was when we arrived,” said Deepa, who had travelled from LB Nagar with her two children.

The festive atmosphere was heightened by the rhythmic beating of traditional drums and performances by Potharajus, who danced energetically through the streets. Bare-chested and smeared with turmeric and vermillion, they drew crowds of onlookers, many of whom recorded the performances on their mobile phones.

To regulate the heavy footfall, separate queues were arranged for women devotees, and barricades were installed along the routes leading to the temple. Police personnel and volunteers were deployed at several points to manage the crowds and keep the queues moving.

For many families, participating in Bonalu at the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple has become an annual tradition. “Celebrating Bonalu without seeking the blessings of the goddess at this temple feels incomplete for our family. We have been coming here since 2021. It is hot today, but we are lucky that it is not raining, unlike during the last week,” said K. Rekha, who had come from Uppal.

Bonalu is an annual festival dedicated to Goddess Mahankali, celebrated mainly in Telangana and parts of Andhra Pradesh. It typically falls in the month of Ashada (July-August) and involves offering bonams to the goddess as a form of thanksgiving and seeking her blessings.

As one stream of devotees continued to wait for their turn for darshan, another emerged from the temple after offering prayers. Many stopped outside to take selfies and family photographs, capturing moments from their annual visit before making their way through the crowded streets of Secunderabad.