Bonalu బోనాలు
July (Ashadha and Sravana months)
About Bonalu
Bonalu (బోనాలు — "offerings") is a major folk festival of Telangana, particularly celebrated in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and surrounding districts. It honours the mother goddess Mahankali and other forms of Shakti.
The Offering
The central ritual involves women carrying bhonam — a pot of cooked rice (bonam) topped with a lamp and neem leaves — on their heads to the goddess temple. The pot represents the offering to the goddess as thanksgiving for protection, particularly from cholera epidemics (historically).
Sequence
Bonalu begins at the Golconda Fort Mahankali temple, then Ujjaini Mahankali Temple (the main celebration), then spreads to other temples across Hyderabad and Secunderabad over successive Sundays.
Pothuraju
Pothuraju — the fierce male guardian of the goddess — is a central figure in Bonalu processions, painted red and carrying a whip.
Historical Roots
The festival's origin is often traced to the Nizam-era cholera epidemic (circa 1813). Soldiers returning from Ujjain (Mahakali temple) began worshipping Mahankali, and the tradition evolved into the current festival.