Hyderabad, Aug 2026 : Hyderabad came alive with devotion, colourful processions and traditional celebrations on Sunday as thousands of devotees thronged Mahankali temples across the city to celebrate the annual Bonalu festival with religious fervour and gaiety.
Special prayers were offered at the historic Simhavahini Mahankali Temple at Lal Darwaza in the Old City as part of the 118th annual Bonalu celebrations. Devotees began arriving early in the morning, with large numbers of women carrying decorated Bonam pots on their heads and waiting in long queues to seek the blessings of Goddess Mahankali.
Bonalu is dedicated to Mahankali, regarded as the Goddess of power, and is celebrated with the belief that the deity protects people from evil, disease and misfortune while bringing peace, prosperity and well-being to society.
Several political leaders, ministers and public figures visited temples across Hyderabad and offered prayers on the occasion. Among those who visited the Lal Darwaza Mahankali Temple were Telangana Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud and MP Anil Kumar Yadav. They offered silk robes to the deity on behalf of the state government.
Tollywood actors Vijay Deverakonda and Anand Deverakonda, along with filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga, were also among the prominent visitors to the Lal Darwaza temple.
Speaking to the media, Vijay Deverakonda extended Bonalu greetings to people and said he was pleased to visit the temple for the first time. He said prayers were offered in connection with Vanga’s production house, ‘Bhadrakali’, and sought the blessings of Goddess Mahankali.
Earlier, ministers and the TPCC president offered prayers at the Bhagyalaxmi Temple near Charminar.
Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu visited the historic Akkanna Madanna Mahankali Temple at Hari Bowli in Shah Ali Banda and offered special prayers. He also presented silk robes to the deity on behalf of the state government.
Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka and government adviser V. Hanumantha Rao offered prayers at the Mahankali Temple in Amberpet. Seethakka said prayers were offered for adequate rainfall and prosperity across Telangana.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and his wife also visited the Amberpet temple and prayed for the welfare and well-being of the people. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar performed puja at the Nallapochamma Temple in Madannapet, while Health Minister Damodar Raj Narasimha offered prayers at the Darbar Maisamma Temple in the Karwan area.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao visited the Bhagyalaxmi Temple at Charminar and the Lal Darwaza Mahankali Temple. State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao offered special prayers at the Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Ammavari Temple in Malkajgiri.
The traditional Bonam offering remained at the heart of the celebrations. Women devotees carried pots filled with cooked rice, jaggery, curd and turmeric water, decorated with neem leaves, turmeric and vermilion. The offerings are presented to the Goddess as a gesture of gratitude and devotion.
Bonalu was officially recognised as Telangana’s state festival following the formation of Telangana in 2014. The celebrations are held during the Ashadam month and traditionally take place over four Sundays at different locations across Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
The festival has deep historical and cultural roots. According to popular belief, Bonalu began more than 150 years ago following a major cholera outbreak. People at the time believed that the epidemic was caused by the anger of Goddess Mahankali and began offering food and prayers to seek her protection and appease the deity.
The festival also carries a strong community dimension, bringing together people from different sections of society. Temples and surrounding neighbourhoods are decorated for the occasion, while traditional music, devotional performances and processions add to the festive atmosphere.
Last Sunday, Bonalu celebrations were held in Secunderabad, where Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy participated and offered Bonam.
The state government made extensive arrangements to facilitate the movement and safety of devotees. Various departments were directed to ensure adequate drinking water, sanitation, road maintenance and uninterrupted power supply at important temple locations.
Security arrangements were also strengthened across Hyderabad. More than 2,000 police personnel were deployed around temples and along important routes to regulate crowds, manage traffic and maintain law and order.
The two-day celebrations will conclude on Monday with the traditional ‘Rangam’ ceremony at the Akkanna Madanna Temple, where the oracle delivers predictions. This will be followed by a grand combined procession featuring the decorated Ghatam, representing Goddess Mahankali.
The procession will pass through several major thoroughfares of the Old City, including the historic Charminar, before reaching the Delhi Darwaza Matha Temple near the Musi River, where the Ghatam will be immersed.
As part of security and crowd-control measures, authorities also ordered the closure of liquor shops, bars, restaurants and toddy outlets in the Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda Commissionerate areas during the festival.
With its blend of devotion, tradition and community participation, Bonalu once again showcased Hyderabad’s distinctive cultural heritage, drawing thousands of devotees to the city’s historic Mahankali temples and reinforcing the festival’s place in Telangana’s social and religious life.
