Hyderabad: With the Bonalu festival set to begin on July 7 at the Jagadambika temple in Golconda Fort, the Telangana government is likely to announce the holiday for the festival. According to the Telangana State Portal Calendar for 2024, the Bonalu holiday in Telangana will be observed on Saturday, July 27. The day has been listed under ‘General Holidays.’
Bonalu begins with the ‘Ashada’ month, according to the Hindu calendar, celebrating goddess Mahankali. In Hyderabad, and other parts of Telangana, devotees, especially women make offerings in the form of food to goddesses in specially decorated pots to celebrate Bonalu.
Every year, the month-long festival of Bonalu is held in Hyderabad in three phases. Golconda Bonalu will be followed by Lashkar Bonalu, which is held at Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad.
The festivities conclude at Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza and at Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple in Haribowli in the old city of Hyderabad.
In Golconda, following the initial ceremony, the second pooja will be held on Thursday, July 11, followed by the third on Sunday, July 14. Subsequent poojas are scheduled for July 18, 21, 25, and 28, as well as August 1 and 4.
It is commonly 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 anger of Mahankali and began offering Bonalu to placate her.
