Bonalu celebrated with gusto at Lal Darwaza

The Lal Darwaza Simhavahini Mahakali Temple was drenched in Bonalu festivities. This is the first Bonalu after the announcement of the Telangana state. The festivities coincided with the holy month of Ramadan and the temple was chock-a-block with devotees. People from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Orissa, and Tamilnadu too poured in to participate in the festivities.

The Lal Darwaza jatara bears a historical significance which was initiated over a 100 years ago by the then Nizam Prime Minister, Kishen Prasad. It started after Hyderabad was affected by floods. 70% of Charminar area was flooded which stretched to Shah Ali Banda killing several people. People believed that the epidemic was the result of the wrath of Mother Goddess (Ammavaru). To stop the floods, Kishen Prasad offered prayers to Ammavaru. Miraculously, the floods receded immediately and from then on people started celebrating Bonalu, in the month of Ashadam, to safeguard themselves against all evils.

On Sunday, the Old City resonated with teen maar beats as potharajus swayed to its tunes, much to the delight of the devotees. Devout women carried bonam, an offering consisting of cooked rice, jaggery, curd, water and other dishes which were brought in pots and offered it to Ammavaru in the temple.

Many A-listers attended the festivities which included Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, Secunderabad MP Anjan Kumar Yadav, Secunderabad Contonment MLA Jayasudha, Congress MPs V Hanumantha Rao and Ponnam prabhakar, AP Heavy Industries Minister Geeta Reddy, Panchayat Raj and Rural Water Supply Minister K Jana Reddy, IT Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Labour Minister Danam Nagender. Heavy security, including a huge contingent of paramilitary forces were present at Lal Darwaza and made sure that the festival was celebrated peacefully.