Hyderabad: The historic Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza, renowned for its rich heritage, is gearing up for a grand Bonalu festival. This year, the celebrations will span 11 days, from July 19 to 29. Traditionally, the festival's inaugural rituals are conducted by the city police commissioner and the GHMC commissioner.
The temple committee members are busy with the arrangements. Recently, they organised Bonalu at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi for two days. Upon their return, they immediately resumed preparations for the upcoming festivities in the Old City.
Celebrating its 116th annual Bonalu, the temple is seeking state government support for its expansion. The previous government had promised to facilitate the temple’s expansion but it went unfulfilled.
According to committee members, a delegation met with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to discuss the need for expansion and the challenges faced by the temple. The Chief Minister has responded positively and promised to take necessary actions.
Each year, lakhs of devotees flock to the temple during Bonalu. The committee members anticipate an increase in women devotees from various parts of Telangana, facilitated by the Maha Lakshmi scheme of free bus travel.
Former chairman K. Venkatesh, speaking to this newspaper, said, "From the temple side, we are reaching out to all the ministers, MPs, and MLAs to attend the festival. The state government is extending all its support. Compared to the previous government, this government has sanctioned an additional budget for the celebration."
