The annual Ashada Bonalu festivities began today at the Sri Jagadamba Mahankali temple in Golconda, Hyderabad.
Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, Hyderabad district in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar and GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi visited the temple and offered prayers to the presiding goddess to mark the beginning of the festivities.
Golconda is the only place where the colourful festival is celebrated during the entire Ashadam month.
To mark the occasion, the Kummari community offered the first bonum to the goddess in the temple. A special puja and abhishekam were also performed for the goddess.
Devotees in large numbers were seen coming to the temple to have a darsanam of the presiding deity. Several arrangements were made in the fort for the devotees - drinking water points were set up from the beginning of the fort, the police set up heavy security in the vicinity of the fort, and the health department set up health camps. A total of 20 mobile toilets, five health camps and three ambulances have also been made available in the Fort. And battery vehicles have been arranged for the elderly and the disabled.
Meanwhile, the State government has provided free entry to the fort to the devotees on all the days of the festival.
Srinivasa Raju, Executive Officer of the temple, said that all possible measures had been taken to avoid causing any inconvenience to the devotees.