Hyderabad: Secunderabad on Sunday was a vision in traditionality, as potharaju-led bands marched in front of devotees carrying ‘Bonam’ on their heads across routes leading to the Ujjaini Mahankali temple, on the occasion of Lashkar Bonalu.
Women were dressed in their cultural attires, while family members walked alongside in their march to seek blessings of the deity and present the offerings on the day of the festival.
Bonalu is celebrated in the Telugu month of ‘Ashadam’ across Telangana, even being named the state festival since its inception in 2014. The government also extends financial assistance to each temple to make the event a grand affair.
Top politicians, including K. Chandrashekar Rao and J.P. Nadda, visited the temple on the day.
As lakhs of devotees lined up from across a two-kilometre radius of the temple to perform their religious duties, roads were lined up with a carnival-like set-up, filled with merry-go-rounds for children, game stalls, toy shops and balloon vendors.
People waiting in lines also revelled in the continuously-playing traditional folk songs of the state.
Many families, which made a religious vow to take out ‘thotela’, organised large gatherings and took out processions with dancers and bands.
Groups of people also dressed up as mythical characters to take part in the processions, which extended from Secunderabad to as far away as Tank Bund.
