Bonalu

Infobox Holiday
holiday_name = Bonalu
type = Festival of Goddess Durga

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caption =
official_name =
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observedby = primarily Hyderabad and parts of AP
begins = July/August
ends =
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date2006 =
date2007 =
celebrations = on Sundays
observances = Offering to the Goddess, family feast
relatedto =

Bonalu ( Telugu: బోనాలు ) is a Hindu festival celebrated in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and some parts of Telangana, to honour Mahakali, The Mother Goddess.

Bonam means Bojanaalu or meal in Telugu, is an "offering to the Goddess". Women bring cooked rice mixed with milk and sugar, sometimes onions in brass vessels or earthen-pots decorated with small neem branches and turmeric (pasupu), vermilion (kunkum) or Kadi (white chalk). The bonam is lit, the women place the vessels on their heads and proceed to a local Goddess temple. They are led by drummers and dancing men.

This tradition is celebrated since the time of the Nizams, who participated in the event.Fact|date=August 2007

Bonalu is also celebrated in honor of Gangamma thalli and her brother PothulaRaju in Balijapalli, Rajampet, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh.

The Ritual

The festival starts with the Golconda Mahankali, located inside the Golconda fort, and then to Secunderabad's Ujjani Mahankali temple, Balkampet Yellamma temple and then through the city.

Bonalu is celebrated during the month of Ashada masam, which usually falls during July/August. Special poojas are performed for Yellamma on the first and last day of the festival.

All the areas have temples in honor of this goddess with names such as "Mysamma", "Pochamma", "Yellamma", "Pedamma", "Dokkalamma", "Ankalamma", "Poleramma", "Maremma", "Pochamme", "Maramma", "Yellammma" etc. The festival is also considered a thanksgiving to the Goddess for fulfillment of vows.

On the festival day, women dress in traditional silk sarees and adorn themselves with jewellery. Tranced female dancers balancing pots (Bonalu), dance to the rhythmic beats of drums in praise of the local goddess.

In olden days, people used to sacrifice a male buffalo in front of the temple, but now, roosters are sacrificed to ward off evil spirits'.

Women carrying Bonalu on their heads are believed to possess the spirit of Mother Goddess, and when the group approaches the temple, people come out and pour water on their feet to pacify this spirit, who is believed to be aggressive.

Every group of devotees collectively offer a "Thottela" (a small colorful, paper structure erected with sticks), as a mark of respect.

It is said that Ammavaaru comes back to her maternal home (Putillu) during Ashada Maasam, so people come to see her and bring offerings of food to show their love and affection, just as they would prepare a special meal when their own daughters come home.

Potharaju

"Potharaju", believed to be the brother of Mother Goddess, is represented in the procession by a well-built, bare-bodied man, wearing a small tightly draped red dhoti and bells on his ankles, and anointed with turmeric on his body and vermilion on his forehead. He dances to resounding drums. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/24/stories/2006072415410200.htm]

He always dances before the Palaharam Bandi, taken on to the streets, also the initiator of the festivities and is considered the protector of the community. He leads the tranced female dancers under spell of the Mother Goddess ("shigam") to the temple, with lashing whips and emerald neem leaves (margosa) tied around their waists, accompanied by trumpets and drums.

The Feast

Bonalu is a festival of offering to the Goddess and families share the offering among their members and guests. A non-vegetarian family feast in every house follows the ritual.

The festival environment is quite palpable in the locality celebrating this festival, with loud-speakers playing Mother Goddess songs in a distinctive Telangana-style folk song, and streets decorated with neem leaves.

Rangam

"Rangam", or "Forecasting of the Future", is held the morning after the festival. Women under spells foretell the year ahead. People ask questions about what the future holds for them. This takes place before the procession sets out.

Ghatam

"Rangam" is followed by "Ghatam". The festival concludes with immersion of "Ghatam". The ghatam of Haribowli's Akkanna Madanna temple [http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/15/stories/2006071522130200.htm] leads the procession, placed atop an elephant and accompanied by mounted horses and models depicting Akkanna and Madanna. It ends in the evening with a glittering procession and display followed by immersion of ghatams at Nayapul.

It is a carnival-like atmosphere, where thousands of people wait along the main streets of Laldarwaza to Nayapool and watch the exquisitely and elaborately decorated "Ghatams", hundreds of youth dance in a unique style to the tempting drum beats and orchestra alongside Pothrajus, and others, part of the procession, dress-up in various mythological roles is a treat to the eyes.

The Ghatams of the Old city procession include the Mahankali temples in Haribowli Akkanna-Madanna, Laldarwaza, Uppuguda, Miralam Mandi and Kasaratta, the Jagadamba temple of Sultanshahi, the Bangaru Mysamma temple of Shahalibanda, Alijah Kotla and Gowlipura, and Sultanshahi, Darbar Mysamma of Aliabad and the Mutyalamma temple of Chandulal Bela.

External links

* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lf/2002/08/05/stories/2002080501520200.htm Photos on The Hindu]
* [http://www.indiavarta.com/gallerynew/photos.asp?Topic=-224 Women carrying the Bonam]
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2005072515880200.htm&date=2005/07/25/&prd=th& The Hindu feature]
* [http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/12/stories/2007071260511100.htm Mayadari Mysamma song feature on The Hindu]