Hyderabad: Come Bonalu and it is a sight to behold right from the early hours. And so it was as thousands of devotees dressed in their festive best walked barefoot carrying bonams to the over two centuries old Ujjaini Mahankali temple where they stood in queues in Secunderabad on Sunday. The rain was of no consequence.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who visited the temple and offered prayers in the morning, presented silk clothes to the presiding deity. Minister Ponam Prabhaker, who monitored all the arrangements, presented the first Bonam on behalf of the state government.
While devotees distributed ‘prasadam’ to everyone around, many kept marching towards the temple while loudspeakers played special Bonalu songs. Joginis who turned up in large numbers.
The picture was repeated in thousands of temples across the city.
This year 120 makeshift toilets were in place apart from arrangements for the elderly at the Mahankali temple. Kota Neelima, the Congress in-charge for Sanathnagar, said, “The government wanted to ensure that women and children are the main focus and face no inconvenience.”
The ‘pothuraju’ brass band enlivened the proceedings.
Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and his wife Kavya offered Bonam at the temple. He said that he prayed to Goddess Mahankali to bless all sections in society. BJP MP Etala Rajendar took a ‘mokku’ (votive) of offering a grand Bonam to the Goddess if the BJP cames to power in the state. He spoke of India’s tradition of respecting and offering puja to women.
BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, party senior leaders and former minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav did not attend the celebrations. It was stated that Yadav, who had overseen the arrangements, had suffered a death in the family.
Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari, principal secretary Dana Kishore, municipal commissioner Amrapali Kata and city police commissioner Kothakota Sreenivasa Reddy, were among the officials to offer Bonam.
Around 1,500 police personnel were deployed along with hundreds of staff of civic departments. Senior officials involved in the arrangements included Vikram Singh Man and P. Vishwaprasad and personnel from She team, CyberCrime, CCS and task force (traffic).
The first Lashkar Bonalu after the Congress came to power saw party leaders place large flex boards, competing for space with the BRS. These flexis were placed on the roads from Tank Bund till Parade Ground.
