Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday, August 2, participated in the Bonalu, also known as Ashadam Jatara, celebrations at Shri Ujjaini Mahankali Ammavari in Secunderabad and offered bonam and silk sarees to the Jaganmata.
He was accompanied by ministers Konda Surekha, Ponnam Prabhakar and Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka).
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Mahesh Kumar Goud, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao had also come for darshan.
The Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad is dedicated to Goddess Mahakali and has been a revered pilgrimage site for over 190 years.
Bonalu is a month-long folk festival celebrated across Telangana. As per tradition, Bonalu begins on the first Sunday (this year, August 2) of the auspicious month of Ashada. Rangam (oracle predictions) will be held on Monday.
A large number of women devotees offered ‘bonam’ to the Goddess. As part of the ritual, they cook rice with milk and jaggery in new earthen or brass pots decorated with neem leaves, turmeric and vermilion. The decorated pots are carried on their heads and offered to the Goddess, along with bangles and saris.
The temple’s sanctum has a stone idol of the goddess seated gracefully. The idol wields a sword, a two-headed damaru (drum), a spear, and an amrut (food of the gods) vessel, all under a protective silver shield known as Vendi Kavacham. It is believed that this stone idol was unearthed during the construction of the innermost sanctum in 1964.
(With PTI inputs)
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