19/07/2026
ICAP wishes everyone a Happy Bonalu!
Bonalu is a Telangana traditional Hindu festival cantered on the Goddess Mahankali. This festival is celebrated annually in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, as well as in other parts of the state. It showcases Telangana's rich culture. It is celebrated in the month of Ashada Masam, which is around July and/or August every year. The Bonalu 2026 festival will begin on July 19 and end on 9th/10th August.
The Bonalu 2026 festival focuses on the universal theme of gratitude and community healing.
Special "poojas" (worship/ ceremonies) are performed for Yellamma (one of the many regional forms of Mahakali) on the first and last day of the festival. The festival is also considered a thanksgiving to the Goddess for fulfilment of vows.
The word Bonam is a contraction of the word Bhojanam, a Sanskrit loanword which means a meal or a feast in Telugu. It is an offering to the Mother Goddess. On this special occasion, women dress up in the traditional Sari, jewels and other accessories. Teenage girls wear half Saris/Lehenga Choli, and ornaments to bring out the traditional grace of the attire. Women prepare rice cooked with milk and jaggery in a new brass or earthen pot adorned with neem leaves, turmeric, vermilion and a lit lamp on top of the pot. Women carry the pots on their heads and make an offering of the Bonam along with turmeric-vermilion, bangles and sari to the Mother Goddess across the temples. Some Tranced women dance with balancing pots (Bonam), to the rhythmic beats of drums in honour of the local goddess.
Women carrying Bonalu are believed to possess the spirit of Mother Goddess, and when they go towards the temple, people pour water on their feet to pacify the spirit, who is believed to be aggressive.
The origin of this festival can be traced back to the 18th Century in the erstwhile Hyderabad State, and is linked with the "Regimental Bazaar" and the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Bonalu is celebrated in various parts of the twin cities. In Hyderabad, on the first Sunday of Aashadham, celebrations are held at the temple at Golconda Fort. On the second Sunday, at Balkampet Yellamma temple in Balkampet and Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad, and on the third Sunday, at the Pochamma and Katta Maisamma temple of Chilkalguda and the Matheswari temple of Lal Darwaza in the Old City of Hyderabad.
May this auspicious festival bring good health, prosperity, and happiness to everyone's home.
