A colourful grand finale to Bonalu festivities

 HYDERABAD: Pothurajus moving around colonies ‘whipping’ youngsters; youth dancing to ‘teen mar’ beats near temples; thotela and ghatam processions snaking through roads… all combined together completed the ever mesmerising Bonalu celebrations here on Monday.

The highlight of the day was the procession of ghatam (image of goddess), carried on an elephant, traversing through the Old City of Hyderabad, after starting at the Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple, along with people dressed up in various characters and a vintage car.

S.P Kranthi Kumar, organising secretary of temple committee, said “after the puja at Nayapul, the ghatam is immersed in  water,” Meanwhile, at Bangaru  Ammavaru temple in Uppuguda, the ‘palahara bandi’ procession was started by the minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav.

The festivities in temples at Mir Alam Mandi featured pothuraju processions and rangam (oracle) while at Nala Pochamma temple, Sabji mandi, the famed ‘mar Bonam’ was taken out in the noon and palaram bandi in the night.

Baligampa and palaram bandi (pushcart with offerings) were taken out at temples in Narayanguda, Himayatnagar and Sanjay Gandhinagar.