Devotees from Telangana offer bonalu, silk robes to Kanaka Durga

By Our Special Correspondent

Bhagyanagar Sri Mahankali Jatara Bonala Utsava Joint Committee presented Bonalas and silk clothes to the head of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) on Indrakiladri in Vijayawada on Sunday.

Association of Temples in Hyderabad, Bhagyanagar Sri Mahankali Jatara Bonal Utsavs Under the auspices of the Joint Temple Procession Committee, the tradition of offering bonals and silks to Kanakadurga has been going on for the past 13 years. This ritual was performed during the holy month of Ashada.

Devotees and folk artists from Telangana dressed up as various mythological characters reached the temple premises by 10 am. Temple EO D Bramarambha and various officials welcomed the devotees and participated in the puja program.

Devotees went in a procession from the Jammidoddi temple visitors' house wearing simple bonas made of rice, jaggery and curd on their heads and wearing silk clothes and reached the temple through the ghat highway.

As part of the ritual, the devotees took out a procession from Brahmin Road to the temple premises. Poturajus danced to the beat of drums. Women came to the temple with bonam on their heads. A ghatam made of copper and silver and a decorated pot are additionally carried in the procession by female devotees.

After taking possession, the members of the committee performed Ganga Teva Puja at Durga Ghat. The practice of offering bonams to Kanakadurgamma has become a routine along with bonam tilak in Telangana. Our committee has been presenting bonas and robes to the presiding officer for the past 13 years and we are taking this ritual forward,” said Gajula Anjaiah, consultant of the committee, adding that 1,000 devotees from Telangana participated in the ritual.

EO Bramarambha praised the initiative of the committee to sell brotherhood and said that Telangana devotees have been warmly welcomed.