Bonalu

Bonalu
Women with Bonam performing parikrama
Official name	Bonalu
Observed by	Telangana
Type	Festival of Goddess Kali
Celebrations	on Sundays
Observances	Offering to the Goddess
Begins	Ashada masam (July/August)
2016 date	July 10-July 31
Frequency	annual

Bonalu or Goddess Mahankali bonalu (Telugu: బోనాలు ) is a Hindu Festival, Goddess Mahakali is worshiped. Bonalu is an annual festival of Telangana celebrated in Twin Cities Hyderabad, Secunderabad and other parts of Telangana, India. It is celebrated in the month of Ashada Masam, in July/August. Special poojas are performed for Yellamma on the first and last day of the festival. The festival is also considered a thanksgiving to the Goddess for fulfillment of vows.

The word Bonam is a corruption of the word Bhojanam(a Sanskrit loanword) which means a meal or a feast in Telugu, is an Offering to Mother Goddess. Women prepare rice cooked with Milk,Jaggery a New Brass or Earthen Pot adorned with Neem Leaves,Turmeric,Vermilion and a lit lamp on the top of the Pot. Women carry the pots on their heads and make offering of Bonam along with Turmeric-Vermilion,Bangles and Saree to the Mother Goddess across the Temples.

Bonalu involves the worship of Mother Goddess in regional forms like Mysamma, Pochamma, Yellamma, Peddhamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremma, Nookalamma.

The 2016 dates for it are July 10-July 31.

The history of the origin of this festival traces back to the 19th Century, and is linked with the "Regimental Bazaar" and the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. In the year 1813, plague disease broke out in the twin cities, and this took away the lives of thousands of people. Just before this, a military battalion from Hyderabad was deployed to Ujjain. When this Hyderabadian Military Battalion got to know about the epidemic in the cities, they prayed to the Mother Goddess in Mahankaal Temple - Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. History tells us, that this military battalion prayed to Goddess Mahankaali, to kill plague, and if the Goddess would do so, they had decided to install and idol of Goddess Mahankaali in the city. It is believed that Mahankaali destroyed the disease and kept pestilence at arms length. Then, the military battalion returned to the city & installed an idol of the goddess, which was followed by the offering of Bonalu to her. Hence, from then, this had turned a tradition, which has been followed and is still being followed by all the people belonging to Telangana.