The ambience of Sri Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri came alive on Sunday with the devotees from old city in Hyderabad offering traditional ‘bonam’ and ‘pattu vastralu’ to the goddess in the afternoon.
Devotees took out a procession from Brahmin Street to the temple premises with colourful ‘potharajus’, who drew the attention of the devotees with their gyrations to the rhythmic drum beats. They also caught the eyeballs of the bystanders with their colourful faces filled with a heavy dose of vermilion and turmeric.
They went around the lanes and bylanes of the temple and offered ‘bonam’ made of rice, jaggery and curd. Folk artistes, who transformed themselves into demons and goddesses, danced along with ‘potharajus’. ‘Ghatam’, a pot made of copper and silver decorated in the form of goddess, was also carried during the procession.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hyderabad’s Old City Ummadi Devalayala Uregimpu Committee chairman Ale Bhaskar Raj said, “We are following this tradition every year and offering ‘bonam’ and ‘pattu vastraalu’ to the goddess before the main bonalu festival in Secunderabad and Hyderabad.” Though two States have been divided, the committee was continuing the tradition for the well-being of Telugu speaking people in the two States and in the country, he said.
We are following this tradition every year and offering ‘bonam’ and ‘pattu vastraalu’ to the goddess before the main bonalu festival in Secunderabad and Hyderabad
Ale Bhaskar Raj
Chairman, Hyderabad’s Old City Ummadi Devalayala Uregimpu Committee