People today celebrated the Bonalu festival on the grand scale across Hyderabad.
Women were seen queued up near temples carrying bonams on their heads to offer the goddess. The temples and their surroundings were adorned with special lighting and colorful arches.
The main hubs were the Lal Darwaza Mahankali temple and the historic Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple in Hari Bowli. Other prominent temples in Gowlipura, Uppuguda, Aliabad, Saroor Nagar and Chilkalguda also saw large congregations of devotees.
On behalf of the State government, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka presented silk clothes to Goddess Simhavahini Sri Mahankali at the Lal Darwaza temple.
The Deputy CM along with his family members and minister Ponnam Prabhakar visited the temple and offered the bonam to the goddess.
Vikramarka was accorded a grand welcome at the temple by Rajya Sabha Member Anil Kumar Yadav, BC Corporation Chairman Nuthi Srikanth Goud and other temple committee members.
Later, the Deputy CM visited the Bhagyalakshmi temple at Charminar and presented silk clothes on behalf of the State government.
Meanwhile, Minister for Tourism Jupally Krishna Rao on behalf of the State government presented silk clothes to Goddess Sri Mahankaleswara at Mir Alam Mandi in the city.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister expressed a wish that the blessings of the goddess should be upon everyone.
Similarly, Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy at the Bhagyalakshmi temple in Charminar, Endowments Minister Konda Surekha at the Katta Maisamma temple in Chilkalguda and Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka at the Khila Maisamma temple in Saroor Nagar presented silk clothes on behalf of the State government.
The festivities will culminate on Monday with the oracle prediction, Rangam at the Akkanna Madanna temple, and a grand procession carrying the Ghatams of Goddess Mahankali.