The annual month-long Bonalu festival kicked off on Thursday in the city at the historic Golconda Fort.
It is conducted in all other major temples like Ujjaini Mahakali temple in Secunderabad and Jubilee Hills Peddamma temple.
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The festival was kicked off after Forest minister P Indrakaran Reddy, Telangana Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar offered a saree to Goddess Jagadambika in the temple at the fort.
Women carry earthen pots containing rice cooked with jaggery, milk and also offer kumkum, sarees and bangles to the ‘Ammavaru’.
Ammavaru is worshiped in different forms like Pedamma, Mysamma, Mahankali and Yellama. Songs like Lashkar Bonalu, Bangaru Maisamma, Dhumu Dhuma and Gali Gali Tirugu sung to appease Goddess Kali rent the air.
“Water supply, power facility and barricading were provided for devotees by the GHMC,” said Chandrashekar, SHO at Golconda.
Bonalu is celebrated every year in a grand manner in the state during the first month of the monsoon season.
About 2,000 devotees participated in the Bonalu festivities. There was no entry fee at the Golconda Fort. Some 450 police personnel were deployed on special duty at Golconda Fort. Bonalu is a women-oriented festival, stressing the importance of shakti.
This year, monsoon made landfall in the state on June 21.