Hyderabad: Secunderabad Ujjaini Mahankali Jatra — a Hindu festival, also known as Lashkar Bonalu — was being celebrated with much pomp and enthusiasm here on Sunday.
Thousands of people, including the chief minister of Telangana, state ministers and central ministers from the state, thronged Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad.
The devout were waiting in long queues at the temple since the early hours of Sunday for an idol viewing.
Telangana’s chief minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, along with his family members, performed a puja. He offered pattu vastralu (silk clothes) to the goddess. The priests blessed the chief minister.
Police made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a peaceful festival. Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahender Reddy said 3,000 police personnel were deployed to the event.
Police also installed more than 125 surveillance cameras to keep a vigil during the celebrations.
Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya visited the temple with his family members, and performed a puja there.
Several state ministers, members of parliament, state legislators, leaders of various political parties and top officials also visited the temple.
The stream of VIPs caused much inconvenience to the public.
Thousands of devotees were standing in three to four-km queues. Although a separate queue was arranged for women, they were still waiting for four hours for their turn to offer bonalu — an offering of cooked rice, jaggery, curd and turmeric water in steel and clay pots — to the deity.
The festival will conclude on Monday with rangam (forecast of the next year) followed by a colourful procession of the goddess on an elephant.
The organisers expect more than 1.5 million people to participate in the festival this year.
Bonalu, dedicated to the deity of power, Mahankali or Kali, is celebrated in parts of Hyderabad and Secunderabad during Ashada masam (July-August).
Also known as Ashada Jatra Utsavalu, it is celebrated on three Sundays at different places in the twin cities.
The Golconda Mahankali festival was celebrated in the historic Golconda Fort last Sunday.
The most popular celebrations will be held next Sunday (July 31) at Akanna Madanna temple at Lal Darwza in the old city of Hyderabad followed by a huge procession the following day.
This is the third Bonalu after the formation of Telangana state.
The festival is being officially celebrated as the Telangana government has declared it a state festival.
The folk festival is celebrated to ward off evil and usher in peace. It is believed that the festival was first celebrated over 150 years ago following a major cholera outbreak.
People believed that the epidemic was due to the wrath of deity Mahankali and began offering bonalu to appease her.
People believe that Ujjaini Mahakali temple was constructed in 1813 by Suriti Appaiah, who was a bearer in the Indian military.
He was on a mission to Ujjain town where thousands had died in the outbreak of cholera.
He is said to have visited Mahakali temple in Ujjain and taken a vow that if his entire platoon was saved, they would install an idol of the deity in Secunderabad.
