Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramara and his wife along with Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar offering prayers at the Lal Darwaza Bonalu festival on Sunday.
Several areas of Hyderabad were adorned with special lights and colourful arches to mark the third Sunday of Bonalu. Hundreds of devotees thronged various temples in the city, especially the Lal Darwaza Simhavahini Mahankali Temple and the Akkanna Madanna Temple to offer prayers to Goddess Mahankali.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and his wife, along with Minister for Transport and BC Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar, presented ‘Pattu Vastralu’ (silk sarees) to the Goddess at the Simhavahini Mahankali Temple. Minister for Health C. Damodar Rajanarasimha also offered a silk saree to the Goddess at Darbar Maisamma Temple in Karvan.
Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Union Minister Kishan Reddy also offered silk clothes to the Goddess at Bhagyalakshmi Temple in Charminar and Amberpet.
Ammavari Shanti Kalyanam
The festival began with the Ammavari Shanti Kalyanam on Sunday, which will be followed by a grand Ghata procession featuring Rangam Bhavishyavani and traditional Potaraju performances on Monday.
Devotees offered ‘bonam’ (a meal consisting of rice, jaggery, curd, and other ingredients) in decorated pots to the Goddess as a token of gratitude and devotion at various temples in the city, seeking blessings and protection. They performed various rituals with great enthusiasm and devotion.
Festivity ends today
The festivities will culminate on Monday with the oracle prediction at 1 p.m. at the Akkanna Madanna Temple, followed by a grand procession featuring a caparisoned elephant carrying the ‘Ghatams’ of Goddess Mahankali. The procession will pass through the main thoroughfares of Shah Ali Banda, Pathergatti, Charminar, and Nayapul, where the Ghatam will be immersed in Musi River.
