Mahankali Jatra or Bonalu is a festival celebrated by the people of the Hyderabad and Secundrabad in Andhra Pradesh. Dedicated to Mother Goddess Adi Shakti, it is celebrated to ward off evil and the epidemics in the surrounding region.
Mahankali Jatra began in the year 1869. A deadly plague killed many people. The people thought that Goddess Shakti’s anger had caused the plague. People started offering food (Bonalu derived from the word Bhojanalu) to pacify her and ward off the evil.
Mahankali Jatra is month-long event celebrated during the month of Ashada as per the Hindu calendar (July-August). It goes on for 2 days, and on every Sunday throughout the month, the festival is celebrated in different areas of the city. The carnival atmosphere sets in, encouraging people to offer their prayers to Goddess and enjoy themselves.
Mahankali Jatra is celebrated in the temple of Goddess Adi Shakti, and the events start early in the morning. All temples are decked up in flowers, and special illumination is done commemorating the event. At dawn, thousands of women adorned in colorful saris carry Bonalu – an earthen pot filled with cooked rice, jaggery, curd and water to offer to the Goddess.
The Bonalu procession that starts from the temple is very colourful and involves many people. ‘Potharaju’, a well-built man draped in red dhoti, and other men dance to the tunes sung in respect of Mother Goddess along the procession.
The Bonalu procession that starts from the temple is very colourful and involves many people. ‘Potharaju’, a well-built man draped in red dhoti, and other men dance to the tunes sung in respect of Mother Goddess along the procession.
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