Old City Bonalu Take Off On Colourful Note

The Old City Bonalu took off on a colourful note on Sunday with temples wearing a festive look for the annual festivities.

The temples started receiving devotees from the early hours, and the Simhavahini Sri Mahankali temple was the centre of the celebrations with devotees converging in large numbers.

Ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Indrakaran Reddy offered pattu vastrams to Ammavaru on behalf of the state government. Talasani said that the current government was organizing all festivals on a grand note, and that the Ambari procession was being conducted with government money. Indrakaran Reddy said that elaborate arrangements had been made for the festivities, and that with the goddess' blessings the state hoped to get more rains.

Others who attended included minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, BJP leader and MP Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP leaders K Laxman, MLC Ramachander Rao and MLA G Kishan Reddy, Telangana Jana Samithi President M Kodandaram, Congress leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy, K Jana Reddy and Anjan Kumar Yadav.

Jana Reddy, Kodandaram, K Laxman, Ramchander Rao and MLA Chintala Ramachandra Reddy had a darsan of the Lal Darwaja Mahankali Ammavaru.

Congress leader and erstwhile actress Vijayashanti offered a golden bonam to the goddess. She said that this was in keeping with her promise to present a golden bonam to the deity if Telangana got statehood. With the blessings of the goddess the people would be happy and develop quickly, she added.

Meanwhile, many devotees escaped from a huge accident due to the alert police. The South Zone Task Force police observed the kamaan at the Akkanna Madanna temple starting to fall, and ran and caught it in time ensuring that it did not land on the crowd. The devotees ran helter skelter, and after the police kept the kamaan aside, heaved a sigh of relief and acclaimed the police for their timely action.