Bonalu Festival 2024 Dates

• Bonalu is a Festival Celebrated in the State of Telangana, and it is dedicated to Goddess Mahakali.
• It is celebrated in the month of Ashada Masam, in July/August.Bonam means "Bojanam" in telugu.
• This is the festival that lasts for a whole month and is one of the longest festivals that is celebrated all across India.

Origin :

There are two stories regarding this festival. In the year 1813 Plague disease broke out in the Twin Cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad, claiming thousands of lives. The military battalion prayed to the Mother Goddess in Mahankaal Temple in

Ujjain. They believed that Goddess Mahakali Saved them from epidemic disease and installed Goddess Mahakali in their city and every year people offered Bonalu.

 The other one is that this is the time when Goddess Mahakali comes back to her parental home, in Ashada Maasam, or the period from late June to August.

• On the first Sunday of 'Ashadam', celebrations take place at the Sri Jagadamba temple at Golconda Fort.
• On the second Sunday, at Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad and Balkampet Yellamma Temple in Balkampet,
• On the third Sunday, at the Matheswari temple of Lal Darwaza in the Old City of Hyderabad. Akkanna Madanna temple in Haribowli and Muthyalamma temple in Shah Ali Banda are among other temples where Bonalu is celebrated.
• Every year, lakhs of devotees congregate to pay obeisance to Mahankali.
• This festival is celebrated for seeking the blessings of the Goddess so that there will be no calamities and that all should live happily.
• The main part of the festival is offering the Bonam to the Goddess, which is done on Sundays.
• The Bonam consists of rice which is cooked along with milk and jaggery, tamarind juice, and water all in different pots made of mud or metal.
• These pots are decorated with Turmeric and kumkum and Neem leaves along with a lamp on the pots are carried on head to the temple of the Goddess.
• This is offered on Sunday every week at different places in Telangana until the festival ends.
• The Bonam is carried to the temple with a person called Pothuraju.
• The interesting part of the festival is the Rangam, which is on the next day after the Bonam is offered i.e. on Monday.
• In this ritual a woman who is believed to be possessed by the Goddess would foretell the future for that year.
•  Rangam is followed by Ghatam.
• Ghatam is the copper pot, decorated in the form of the mother goddess, and it is carried by a priest who wears a traditional dress.
• The Ghatam is taken into procession from the first day of the festival till the last day when it is immersed in water.

 

Bonalu Dates 2024

July 07, July 14, July 21, July 28, August 04.

Rangam is on July 22.

July 03 - Golconda Bonalu 

July 21 - Secunderabad Ujjaini Mahankali Bonalu 

July  - Bhagya Nagar (lal darwaja) Bonalu 

July  - Procession of Ghattam 

July  - Utsavam ends with Golconda Bonalu