The Telangana government has decided to cancel this year’s Bonalu festival, one of the biggest traditional folk festivals in the state, due to the persistent threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was taken by the Telangana ministers from Hyderabad in consultation with various temple committees in the city that celebrate the festival in a big way every year. The Bonalu was declared a state festival by the Telangana government after the state’s formation in 2014.
Speaking to reporters later, state minister for animal husbandry Talasani Srinivasa Yadav said the festival would be held by the priests of the temple in a simple manner this year without involving devotees. He appealed to the devotees to celebrate the festival in their houses and not to visit temples.
“The traditional offering of ‘bonam’ (derived from Bhojanam, meaning meals) to the goddess Mahankali will be done by priests within the temple premises. Even the procession of “ghatam” (pot carrying bonam) will be restricted to the temple premises. The government would supply traditional silk clothes for the presiding deity in the temples a day before the festival,” he said.
‘Bonalu’ is a traditional folk festival celebrated every year in the Telugu month of Ashadham (falling in June/July), in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, and some other parts of Telangana state. The devotees worship Goddess Mahankali (a form of Durga) seeking her divine blessings to overcome all obstacles and get cured of diseases.
Devotees make ‘bonam’ (meal, comprising cooked rice, milk and jaggery) in new earthen pots (ghatams), which womenfolk carry on their heads to the temple and offer to the deity. The pots are adorned with neem leaves, turmeric and vermilion.
The festivities begin on the first Friday of Ashadham month and continue till the end. The main festivities begin at Goddess Mahankali temple at Golconda fort in the first week, followed by Ujjaini Mahankali temple at Secunderabad, Akkanna Madanna temple at Shalibanda and ends at the Mahankali temple at Laldarwaza in old city of Hyderabad.
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Sections of people had demanded that the Bonalu festival be allowed to continue normally this year owing to belief that Goddess Mahankali would help devotees to overcome Covid-19 pandemic.
“In fact, the Bonalu festival started in Hyderabad in 18th century when plague had broken out in the city claiming thousands of lives. It was goddess Mahankali which saved the people from the epidemic those days. This year, too, we wanted to celebrate to overcome Corona pandemic. It is not correct on the part of the government to cancel the celebrations,” argued G Niranjan, patron of Akkanan Madanna temple committee.
Health department authorities had told chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday that it was not advisable to hold Bonalu festival this year since lakhs of people congregate at every temple during the festival which would likely result in an explosion of Covid cases in Hyderabad, a city already witnessing a surge in positive cases and deaths due to the virus in the last three weeks.