Bonalu Festival 2025: History, Significance, Rituals and Cultural Traditions Explained

Bonalu Festival: History, Significance, and Rituals Explained

Bonalu festival is a colourful, highly respected festival which is repeated every year and is a main cultural indicator of Telangana, India. Devoted to Goddess Mahakali in her localized appearances (which includes Yellamma, Pochamma and Maisamma), it is celebrated with great devotion, bright processions and riotous folk culture.

History:

History of the Bonalu festival. The festival is mostly beckoned to its roots of origin in the 19 th century around the year 1813. It was marked by an epidemic of plague in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad which killed so many lives. There is some popular legend that when a battalion of the Hyderabad army at Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) was threatened by the fatal disease, they made prayer to Goddess Mahakali. In case the plaque decreased, they swore to set up a statue of the Goddess in Hyderabad and spread out a “Bonam” (a feast) to her. The soldiers kept their vow when the epidemic suddenly stopped leading to the tradition of Bonalu.

Yet another tradition of the festival is that it started to be celebrated more than a millennium ago by the Kakatiya king Pratapa Rudra conducting special pujas at the time of Bonalu to the temple of Jagadambika in Golkonda.

Significance:

The Bonalu name is formed based on Telugu words of Bhojanam or Bhojanalu which refers to food. The festival is more or less a sacrifice to the Mother Goddess who is supposed to be on a visit to her motherly home during the Ashada Masam.

It is not merely a religious festival; however, it is a reflection of Telangana culture. It brings societies together based on the common passion, festive music, folk dances and brilliant processions.

Rituals:

A number of specific rituals are characteristic of the celebrations:
Bonam Preparation: Women work specially prepared offerings known as Bonam. This normally includes rice that will have been cooked using milk and jaggery and in some cases curd rice, and it is served in new earthen or brass pots. With an aim of beautifying these pots, turmeric, vermillion (kumkum) and neem leaves are appealingly added at the center of these pots with a lamp being followed most of the times.

* The Procession (Ghatam and Potharaju): Devotees take decorated “Bonam” pots on their heads to the temples of Goddess Mahakali. While the devotees are walking towards the temple, they sprinkle water at their feet, believing the women carrying the Bonam are possessed by the spirit of the Mother Goddess, which leads to a powerful energy endowed to the devotee, and must not be disturbed after the offering.

* Offerings and Worship: Upon reaching the temple, the “Bonam” is placed in front of the Goddess as an offering, accompanied by bangles and a saree. The devotees performed special pujas and prayers for the sake of the participants. In some communities, animal sacrifices in the form of goats or roosters are also traditionally made, as part of the feast.

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* Thottelu: The women also constructed “Thottelu,” a decorative, small colorful block where papers are permitted to stand on small sticks to form the display, which are placed as offering to the Goddess as a mark of respect.

* Rangam (Oracle Prediction): The next morning after the main day of Bonalu culminated, devotees will perform the “Rangam” ritual. A woman is said to have possessed a spirit of Goddess Mahakali by standing and balancing on a pot and will act as an oracle to predict the future for the devotee and the community.

* Feasting: After the offering, the women share Bonalu among their family members, symbolizing blessings and unity for one family. A large family feast of non-vegetarian meal is typically part of the celebratory ritual.

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