Hyderabad: Lakhs of devotees went to Mahankali temples across the state to celebrate Bonalu. The state festival was ushered in at the Ujjaini Mahankali temple at Secunderabad on Sunday.
Devotees take out a procession carrying bonam to the Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad on Sunday. (Photo: S. Surender Reddy)
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao presented pattu vastras and offered prayers to the goddess along with his family. He was welcomed by temple officials and minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav into the sanctum sanctorum.
Thousands of women devotees stood for long hours in queues to offer bonam (cooked rice with jaggery in a pot). Devotees turned up from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka as well. Over 2,500 police personnel including bomb-detection squads were deployed and 2,000 CCTV cameras placed for security.
Endowments minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy said, “Bonalu is a very special festival for the people of Telangana and this is the reason why the state has recognised this festival as the state festival. With the blessings of the goddess, we were able to finish the Kaleshwaram project and have prayed to the goddess that there should be good rains in the state.”
Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy and his wife Kavya, several ministers, MPs, MLAs and other officers had darshan of the goddess on the occasion Government allotted about Rs 15 crore for the festival, and many civic departments were roped in to make arrangements for the devotees.
Despite a traffic advisory put out well in advance, there were traffic jams on Mahatma Gandhi Road near the Paradise crossroads.
