Preparations for Bonalu festival begin in Hyderabad and Secunderabad

HYDERABAD: Following the lifting of lockdown, large-scale preparations for the annual Ashada Bonalu festival have begun in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
The festivals begins with the first offering being made to goddess Jagadamba at the temple atop Golconda Fort on July 11. Celebrations will follow at Ujjaini Mahakali temple in Secunderabad on July 25, and at Lal Darwaza temple in Old City on August 1.

Ahead of the festival, a review meeting of endowments, police, revenue, GHMC, R&B, TSSPDCL and HMWS&SB officials was convened on Friday. Minister for animal husbandry & cinematography, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, chaired the meeting and discussed arrangements in the meeting that lasted three hours. Elected body members of over 25 temples in the twin cities also attended the meeting.
“This year, Bonalu will be celebrated with strict implementation of Covid-19 norms in all temples across the city,” said Talasani. “There will be a ‘no mask-no entry’ norm at temples.”
The minister told officials, “Temple executive officers have to make arrangements for queues with social distancing, sanitisers for devotees and sanitizing the temple premises,” said the minister. CM K Chandrasekhar Rao has allotted Rs 15 crore to facelift and decorate temples, and Rs 60 crore for related arrangements.