Bonalu ( Telugu: బోనాలు ) is a Hindu festival celebrated in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and some parts of Telangana, in ritual honour of Mahankali, The Mother Goddess. Image File history File links Acap. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 340 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Women doing parikramas around the temple. ... , For other uses, see Hyderabad. ... Andhra redirects here. ... In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: ) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. ... Telugu may refer to: Telugu language Telugu literature Telugu people Telugu script Telugu films Look up Telugu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bhavna says there are 300 million gods in Hinduism. ... , For other uses, see Hyderabad. ... , Secunderabad   is twinned with the city of Hyderabad, the latter being the state capital of Andhra Pradesh, India. ... Location of Telangana region Telangana region marked in white. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Bonam means Bojanaalu, meaning a meal in Telugu , is an offering to the Goddess. Women bring cooked rice mixed with milk and sugar, sometimes onions, filled with water in polished brass vessels or in earthen-pots (usually two pots), put small neem branches, spotted in scared colors of turmeric (pasupu), vermilion (kunkum), sometimes Kadi(white chalk). The bonam is lit atop with a deepam/diya and put the vessel on their heads and gather with other women, and proceed to a local Goddess temple. They are led by pounding drum beaters and dancing men. Telugu may refer to: Telugu language Telugu literature Telugu people Telugu script Telugu films Look up Telugu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A glass of cows milk. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely traded commodity. ... For other uses, see Onion (disambiguation). ... Neem (Azadirachta indica, syn. ... Binomial name Linnaeus Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae which is native to tropical South Asia. ... Sindoor or kumkum or kunkuma is a Vermilion (red powder) used by married Hindu women and some Sikh women. ... The Indian light festival Diwali is traditionally lit up by huge numbers of Diya (plural diyas). Diya is a contracted form of deep or light given by small earthen pots (also known as Pradeep), with wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee. ...

This century-old tradition is celebrated since the time of the Nizams, who participated in the event.^{[citation needed]} The Nizam of Hyderabads coat of arms Nizam-ul-Mulk, commonly shortened to Nizam, was the title taken by the Asif Jahi rulers of Hyderabad state in India. ...

Bonalu is also celebrated for goddess Gangamma thalli and his brother PothulaRaju in Balijapalli, Rajampet, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. , Kadapa (à°•à°¡à°ª), formerly Cuddapah, is a city in Andhra Pradesh, India, the headquarters of Kadapa District. ...

The Ritual

The festival starts at Golconda

The festival starts with the Golconda Mahankali, which is located inside the Golconda fort, and then to Secunderabad's Ujjani Mahankali temple, and then to old city and its suburbs. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (3,072 × 2,304 pixels, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (3,072 × 2,304 pixels, file size: 2. ... Golconda fort overlooking Hyderabad Golkonda, also Golconda, a ruined city of south-central India and west of Hyderabad, capital of ancient Hyderabad state (c. ... Golconda fort overlooking Hyderabad Golkonda, also Golconda, a ruined city of south-central India and west of Hyderabad, capital of ancient Hyderabad state (c. ... Golconda fort overlooking Hyderabad Golkonda, also Golconda, a ruined city of south-central India and west of Hyderabad, capital of ancient Hyderabad state (c. ... , Secunderabad   is twinned with the city of Hyderabad, the latter being the state capital of Andhra Pradesh, India. ...

Bonalu is celebrated in the month of Ashada masam, the month preceding the Shravana masam, but not in the shravana masam(usually in July/August). Special poojas are performed for Yellamma (Goddess Jagadambika ) on the first and last day of the festival.

All the areas have Goddess temples with names such as Mysamma, Pochamma, Yellamma, Pedamma, Dokkalamma etc. The festival is also considered a thanksgiving to the Goddess for fulfillment of vows.

On the festival day, women dress-up in traditional silk sarees and adorned in Jewellery go for the temple offering. The dance of tranced female dancers, often middle-aged, balancing pots (Bonalu), dance to the rhythmic beats of drums in praise of the local goddess.

In olden days, people used to sacrifice a male-buffalo in front of the temple, but now, roasters are sacrificed to ward off evil spirit, symbolizing The festival of sacrifice. Artists impression of roaster extrasolar planet HD 209458b (Osiris). ...

Women carrying Bonalu on their heads, are believed to possess the spirit of Mother Goddess, and when the group go towards the temple, people come out and pour water on their feet to pacify the mood, who is believed to be aggressive.

Every group of devotees, collectively offer a Thottela, a small colorful, paper structure erected with sticks), as a mark of respect.

Another version from folklore as to why it is celebrated: It is said that Goddess(Ammavaaru) comes back to her maternal home(Putillu) as its is Ashada Maasam. so folks come to see her and bring with them some offerings in the form of food to give to her as love and affection. Just like preparing special Meal when daughters comes home.

Potharaju

A woman under trance

A man well-built, bare-bodied, turmeric-smeared on entire body, vermilion on the forehead, clad in a small tightly draped red dhoti, bells tied to the ankle and dancing to the sound of reverberating beats of drums (dappu) is fondly known as Potharaju. [1] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 421 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A dancing woman under trance. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 421 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A dancing woman under trance. ...

He is believed to be the brother of Mother Goddess, always dances before the Palaharam Bandi, taken on to the streets, also the initiator of the festivities and is considered the protector of the community. He is followed by the tranced female dancers (under spell of the Mother Goddess, called shigam) to the temple, with lashing whips and emerald neem leaves(margosa) tied around their waists, adding color to the roaring trumpets and pulsating percussion, and led by drum beaters. Neem (Azadirachta indica, syn. ...

The Feast

Bonalu is a festival of offering to the Goddess and families share the offering among their members and guests. After the temple offering, a non-vegetarian family feast follows in every house.

The festival environment is quite palpable in the locality celebrating this festival, with loud-speakers playing Mother Goddess songs in a distinctive telangana-style folk song, and streets decorated with neem leaves. Neem (Azadirachta indica, syn. ...

Rangam

Rangam means Forecasting of the Future, is held the next morning of the festival. Some women under spell foretell the year ahead, and people come and ask questions about whats in store for them. This takes places before the procession is set out.

Ghatam

Rangam is followed by Ghatam, the festival concludes with immersion of Ghatam. The ghatam of Haribowli's Akkanna Madanna temple[2], placed atop an elephant, with mounted horses and models depicting Akkanna and Madanna, lead the procession. It ends in the evening with a glittering procession and display followed by immersion of ghatams at Nayapul.

Its a carnival-like atmosphere, where thousands of people wait along the main streets of Laldarwaza to Nayapool and watch the exquisitely and elaborately decorated Ghatams, hundreds of youth dance in a unique style to the tempting drum beats and orchestra alongside Pothrajus, and others, part of the procession, dress-up in various mythological roles is a treat to the eyes.

The Ghatams of the Old city procession include Mahankali temples of Haribowli Akkanna-Madanna, Laldarwaza, Uppuguda, Miralam Mandi, Kasaratta, Jagadamba temple of Sultanshahi, Bangaru Mysamma temple of Shahalibanda, Alijah Kotla and Gowlipura, and Sultanshahi, Darbar Mysamma of Aliabad and Mutyalamma temple of Chandulal Bela.

External links

• Photos on The Hindu
• Women carrying the Bonam
• The Hindu feature
• Mayadari Mysamma song feature on The Hindu