Bonalu fervour grips Secunderabad as lakhs throng Ujjaini Mahankali Temple
Women carrying bonams, earthen pots containing rice cooked with milk and jaggery and accompanied by offerings including curd, sugar and turmeric water, made their way towards the temple to present them to the goddess
Secunderabad's Ujjaini Mahankali Temple was inundated with devotees on Sunday (August 2, 2026) amidst the annual Bonalu festivities. Despite the scorching 30°C heat, lakhs of worshippers braved the weather to offer prayers to Goddess Mahankali. Long queues snaked for nearly a kilometer along the temple's surrounding roads. Early risers arrived at 5 a.m., securing relatively quicker darshan.
As more people flocked to the temple after 8 a.m., waiting times escalated, leaving many devotees in the sun for hours. Women carrying bonams, or earthen pots containing cooked rice with milk and jaggery, journeyed to the temple along with a variety of offerings. The streets leading to the temple were lined with devotees from early morning.
Deepa, who traveled from LB Nagar with her children, noted that although the crowd had swelled since their arrival at 6 a.m., they had managed to complete their darshan within an hour. Traditional drummers and Potharajus, performers dressed bare-chested and smeared with turmeric and vermillion, added to the festive ambiance. Separate queues for women and barricades along the routes regulated the heavy footfall.
Police and volunteers managed the crowds efficiently. For many families, visiting the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple during Bonalu is an annual tradition. Rekha, a family member from Uppal, said, "Celebrating Bonalu without seeking the blessings of the goddess at this temple feels incomplete for our family. We have been coming here since 2021. It is hot today, but we are lucky that it is not raining, unlike during the last week."
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
