BONALU (బోనాలు)

Bonalu Festival of Telangana State is a Hindu festival which involves the worship of Kali and her various forms. Goddess is worshiped as Mysamma, Pochamma, Yellamma, Pedamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremma, Nookalamma. Bonalu is an annual celebration that takes place in the twin cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad and also some parts of Telangana state in India. The festival is celebrated in the month of Ashada Masam from the first Sunday to the end of Shraavana masam, in July-August for a long period of a month. The first and the last day of the festival are very important and special pujas and prayers are performed.

Bonam means a meal in English or Bojanam in Telugu is an Offering to Mother Goddess. The complete preparation of Bonam is done by women. Rice is cooked with milk in a new clay pot and mixed with jaggery. Once the clay pot drops the heat, lime is applied on the external surface of the pot. Oil is mixed with turmeric and is applied at the external centre of the pot. Vermilion is applied as dots on the placed turmeric. The pot is decorated with neem leaves, and a Lighted Diya (lamp) is placed on the top. Women carry these pots on their heads and make offering of Bonam along with turmeric, vermilion, bangles and sarees to the Mother Goddess across the Temples.

The festival reportedly started in 1813 in the region of Hyderabad and Secunderabad when plague had broken out in the twin cities that had claimed thousands of lives. A military battalion from Hyderabad was then deployed to Ujjain and concerned about the plague menace in Hyderabad, the military battalion offered prayers to Mother Goddess at Mahankaali Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, that if people get relieved from the epidemic they would be installing the idol of Mahankaali back in Secunderabad. It is believed by devotees that Mahankaali halted the spread of the disease while the Military Battalion came back here and installed an idol by offering Bonalu to Mother Mahankaali.

The tradition is followed by the people of Telangana and Bonalu is celebrated as a festival with divine offerings to Mother Goddess and the families also share these offerings with other family members and guests.

Pothuraju well known as brother of Mother Goddess with well-built, bare-bodied man, wearing a red dhoti and bells on his ankles, and coloured with turmeric on his body and vermilion on his forehead. Potharaju dances to resounding drums.

Ghatam is made with pure copper pot and decorated in the form of mother goddess. It is carried by priest, who wears a traditional Dhoti and body with smeared in turmeric. Ghatam is taken as a procession from first day of the festival to the last day, when it is immersed in water. The Ghatam accompanies drums.

Rangam, or the Performing the Oracle, is held after the next morning of the actual festival. An unmarried woman invokes goddess Mahankaali onto herself and performs this custom. She foretells about the future ahead when devotees ask for information.

The roads leading to the temples, convert into a sea of humanity, with colours of India on display at their very best.  Amongst all this chaos the Pothuraju dancers show their skills like breathing fire, acrobatics and often going in a trance like state, when they are believed to be in a possessed state. People cherish the bliss of a splendid harvest and dance in order to pay homage to the Mother Goddess. Bonalu is a significant form of ritual dance in Telangana and is the state festival of Telangana.