Bonalu festival at Ujjaini Mahankali Temple draws thousands and political leaders in Secunderabad

Thousands of devotees gathered at the historic Ujjaini Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad on August 2‑3, 2026 to celebrate the annual Bonalu festival, offering traditional Bonam pots of rice, jaggery, curd and water to Goddess Mahankali. The Telangana state government and police deployed extensive crowd‑management and security measures, and arranged special bus services and traffic diversions to accommodate the massive turnout.

Prominent political figures visited the shrine, including Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao, and Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Reddy and other ministers performed rituals and sought blessings for rainfall and agricultural prosperity. KTR highlighted that Bonalu was declared a state festival by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and noted past government funding for temple committees. Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the state’s allocation of only Rs 20 crore for Bonalu compared with Rs 33 crore for Ramzan, questioning the adequacy of support for the festival.

During the Rangam ritual, oracle Swarnalatha warned of heavy rains, floods and fire accidents in the coming year and urged the temple authorities to complete the long‑delayed installation of her idol within six months. The festival’s cultural performances, including the traditional Potharaju dance and an elephant procession, underscored its significance in Telangana’s heritage.