'Bonalu', the state festival of Telangana, will be a low-key affair this time as the state government has appealed to people to celebrate it at their homes in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
As the annual festivities are mainly held in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, which account for majority of Covid-19 cases in the state, the government decided on Wednesday that there will be no public celebrations.
The nearly month-long festival is scheduled to begin on June 25 with with the celebrations at the Sri Jagadamba temple atop the historic Golconda Fort.
After a high-level meeting with elected representatives, police, municipal and Endowments Department officials, Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav announced that only priests will perform Bonalu in the temples while people should celebrate the festival at their homes.
"People are requested not to come to the temples. The decision was taken to check the spread of coronavirus," he said.
He said the decision was taken as per te guidelines issued by the Central and the state governments for religious festivities.
The minister said the priests at the leading temples would perform the rituals, make the offerings on behalf of the government and take out traditional procession. There will be no public participation in these festivities.
The celebrations are scheduled at Sri Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad on July 12 and 13, at Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza and at Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple in Haribowli on July 19 and 20.
The folk festival is mainly celebrated in the twin cities region during the month of 'Ashada' The women make offerings in the form of food to goddess Mahankali in specially decorated pots. During the month-long festival, people also hold 'rangam' or forecasting the future, organise processions and cultural events.
Attired in their best, women queue up at the temples to offer 'Bonalu', which consists of cooked rice, jaggery, curd and turmeric water, carried in steel and clay pots on their heads. The devotees believe that the annual festival will ward off evil and usher in peace.
The annual festivities conclude with a procession from Akkanna Madanna temple. The procession led by a caparisoned elephant, carrying the 'ghatam' of the goddess, passed through the main thoroughfares of the old city, including the historic Charminar.
It is commonly believed that the festival was first celebrated over 150 years ago following a major cholera outbreak. People believed that the epidemic was due to the anger of the Mahankali and began offering 'Bonalu' to placate her.
After formation of Telangana State in 2014, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had declared 'Bonalu' as the state festival.
( With inputs from IANS )