The ‘Bonalu’ tableau of Telangana, the 29th State of the Republic, with Goddess Mahankali will have 25 performers on and around it.
They will be led by V. Subhash, reflecting the distinct culture and tradition of the new State that is instantly recognised with Hyderabad, the City of Pearls, with a blend of age-old customs and traditions and modernity.
Designed around ‘Bonalu’, the festival in worship of Goddess Mahankali in the month of ‘Ashada’ that falls in July/August, the tableau will portray Golconda Fort, from where the festival begins. Participants in the procession play musical instruments like the dappu , kommu , tasha and pagadam . Bonam means a meal offered to the Goddess and women prepare rice cooked together with milk and jaggery in a new earthen pot adorned with neem leaves, turmeric, vermillion and a lighted diya on top.
