Telangana Allocates Rs 20 Crore for Hyderabad Bonalu Festival Arrangements

The Telangana government has announced elaborate arrangements and allocated a Rs 20 crore budget for the upcoming Bonalu festival, which will be celebrated from July 16 to August 13. The grand festivities are scheduled to commence at the Sri Jagadamba Mahankali Temple at the historic Golconda Fort, proceeding to Secunderabad, and concluding at the Lal Darwaza and Haribowli temples in the Old City of Hyderabad.

Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, currently visiting London, held a virtual meeting via Zoom with officials from various departments to review the arrangements. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Mohammed Azharuddin, along with local MLAs and senior government officials, also participated in the review session.

Minister Surekha directed officials across all departments to work in close coordination to ensure seamless facilities for the Ashada Jatara Bonalu celebrations. The festival will be organized on a grand scale across three municipal corporations, namely the Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Corporations.

To support the celebrations, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy allocated Rs 20 crore. Minister Surekha noted that the state government's financial assistance for Bonalu has increased significantly over the past few years. She instructed that these funds be utilized effectively to improve temple infrastructure and provide essential amenities for devotees.

The planned works include installing decorative lighting, floral decorations, CCTV cameras, managing queue lines, and setting up drinking water facilities, sanitation management, and medical camps. The Transport Department has also been urged to take special measures to accommodate devotees traveling from all corners of the state.

Additionally, the government has ordered the implementation of special traffic plans, the deployment of additional buses and medical teams, and robust security arrangements at temples expecting heavy crowds.

The annual festival is held in three phases. The celebrations will begin at Golconda, followed by the Lashkar Bonalu at the Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad. The festivities will culminate at the Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza and the Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple in Haribowli.

During the festival, devotees, particularly women, offer food to the Goddess in specially decorated pots. The tradition is believed to have originated more than 150 years ago to placate Goddess Mahakali during a major cholera outbreak in the region.