Bonalu-Bonam Festival of Telangana- a Thanksgiving Ritual

-

Bonalu jatra or festivity is celebrated in Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Telangana in the month of Ashada. Ashada comes in July – August every year. The festivity is a month long affair and calls for whole family participation. Elaborate poojas are performed for Goddess Yellamma,Muthyalamma, Mysamma, Pochamma, Pedamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Ganganamma,  Maremma, Pochamma, Maramma, and Nookalamma .

 ‘Poleramma Jatara’ (temple fair of village deity), organised at Venkatagiri town in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.

'Bonam' means Bojanam or Bojanalu in Telugu language. It means first offering to the Goddess. As Aashada marks the change of Ayana (Uttarayana and Dkashinayana). So, it is the first offering to the Goddess made as thanksgiving and welcoming Dakshinayana. Some opine that Goddess visits her maternal home for vacation during Aashada month, so it is the  duty of every individual to welcome her and make offerings to her during her stay.

Bonam means ‘food’ cooked rice offering in honour to Mother Goddess - Mahankali. Women bring cooked rice with milk, Jaggery, curd (yoghurt) some onions in earthen pot, covered with neem leaves, neem twigs, turmeric, vermilion or Kumkum and a lamp or diya on top. Women place the pots on their heads and take it to the Goddess temple, led by drummers and dancing men. Thus, the festivity acquired the name of Bonalu-plural of Bonam.

Some women fill the pot with turmeric water and offer to the Goddess along with neem leaves. This is called 'Saaka'. These Goddess are held responsible for checking and controlling chicken pox, measles, other forms of illness and viral infections. They are also held responsible for good rainfall, saver from drought, protector from natural calamities, village guarding and so on. It is a kind of thanksgiving to the Goddess for the fulfillment of vows and protecting the human race from ages.

 The first main festival is held on the first Sunday of the Ashada month at the Sri Mahakali at Sri Jagadamba temple in Golconda Fort. This is also known as Aashada Jatara Utsavalu. The next main festival on the second Sunday at the Ujjain Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad. This is also called as Lashkar Bonalu, Balkampet Yellama temple.The third main festival on the third Sunday at the Matheswari Temple  of Laldarwaja, Hyderabad. This is also called Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple and Sri Akkanna and Madanna Mahankali temple at Lal Darwaza in Charminar, the old city of Hyderabad. The rituals are also performed in all the other mother Goddess temples in the twin cities.

Some women carrying Bonalu are believed to posses the spirit of mother Goddess Mahankali and  the turmeric water saaka is poured on them to pacify the spirit.

During this Aashada month, Goddess at different temples, all across the twin cities is  worshiped  with different names like: Yellammma, Mysamma, Pochamma, Peddamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremm and so on.

Thottela:


Thottela is a triangular shape structure made with sticks covered with transparent colour papers. This is submitted to the temples by the devotees or group of devotees. I am not sure of the significance of 'Thottela'.


Rangam:

The next day of the Bonula celebration is Rangam day. It is on this day, an unmarried woman foretells about the fortune for the coming year. This woman remains unmarried all through her life and she ties a wedding knot to a sword and remains single in order to participate in the Rangam event.

After the Rangam event, the deity or the photo picture of the deity is carried on an elephant with lots of floral decoration along with musical bands procession.  This  is called  'Saganampu'.

Potharaju:

 Potharaju is a man or men whose body/ ies are covered with turmeric paste and red vermilion dots all over, with anklets on feet who dance to the heavy rhythmic beats of the drum and carry a whip to lash. The processions are led by Potharaju, believed to the brother of the mother Goddess. Usually, Potharaju is a well-built man who embellishes the role.

One more version of the Bonalu celebration is that Mother Goddess comes to visit her maternal parents house. So, people go to receive her and greet her with sweet food, Thottela , women and men dancing and drum beats.---Quite interesting!!!














2018 Sacred Bonalu Pots pictures around Secunderabad-Hyderabad cities by eminent photographer-Sri  Vishwanath Polepeddi























Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tamasha Folk Theatre of Maharashtra

-
Image
Tamasha is a traditional Marathi folk art form. It includes both singing and dancing forms. It is widely performed theatre groups within the state of Maharashtra, India. It is in fact a mobile theatre that goes to different regions of Maharashtra. The word ‘Tamasha’ is Persian origin meaning ‘to have fun or to play’. Today, this word is commonly used in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Urdu. Again, some have researched the origin of the word Tamasha to Turkish langaugeand has entered into urdu and finally borrowed from Urdu to Marathi. In Marathi the word Tamasha means 'A mixtures of specialized performances like dance, music, different enactements or roles by women or girls, participation of women, and singing lavanis'. I wonder how Persian or Turkish languages have influence Marathi. This folk art from is so very deep rooted in rural Maharashtra for more than eight-nine centuries that it is quite difficult to say when this Tamasha was first staged. This art form is cal
Read more

Dakkebali -Sri Khadgeshwari Brahmasthana, Padubidre

-
Image
  Dakkebali is a form of snake worship also known as Nagaradhane. Dakkebali ritual is practiced in the town of Padubidri in the Udupi district, Karnataka, India. Padubidre Brahmastana as it is known as a place of Shakti worship in Parashurama Kshetra located on the west coast of Southern India in Tulunadu of Karnataka State. The festival is held once two years. This pooja is performed for Naga, Bramha, Raktheshwari, Nandikonna, Haygulli, Kshetrapala, Bagilu Bobbarya, Motukalu Bobbarya, and Yakshi. The festival starts from the Makara maasa (normally 14th January) and continues till the end of Meena maasa i.e., the 2nd week of March. It is a rare place of Shakti worship, which has retained the age-old custom and practices, which trace their origin back to the Vedic Ages. The belief system has manifested right from Vedic Age. However, there has been a transformation in a belief system that has gradually grown towards nature worship, naga worship, evolving customs, practices, and ritu
Read more

Panduga Sayanna-The Robinhood of Telangana

-
Image
“ Unnolani Kottindu, Lenolaku Pettindu Pandaga Sayanna Vadu Rajulaku Monagudu”                            ------------Telugu Verses “Grabbed from the haves Distributed to have-nots                                 That is Pandaga Sayanna Greater than Kings”. He grabbed, seized, robbed, and looted the wealth from big shots and distributed it equally among the poor, deprived, and have-nots. He along with his gang blocked the highways and looted the wealth. Who is he???? These are the first four lines of the first stanza of a heroic ballad on Pandugolla Sayanna sung by a Dakkali folk artist using the Kinnara Instrument. Pandugolla Sayanna or Pandaga Sayanna belongs to Palamooru also known as Mahaboobnagar District, Telangana Region, Andhra Pradesh. He was the Messiah of the poor. But for Pandugolla Sayanna   “The Poorest among the poor is not one”. Again, he called “women the poorest among the poor”. A Century ago, many poor could afford for two
Read more