Hyderabad: For the first time ever, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will offer a 3.8 kg gold bonam costing about Rs 1 crore to the famous Ujjaini Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad during the Bonalu festival on July 29. Endowments minister A. Indrakaran Reddy and city ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav and T. Padma Rao Goud released pictures of the gold bonam design on Monday.
Mr Indrakaran Reddy said Telangana festivals like Bonalu had got a raw deal in undivided AP but after formation of the state, the Chief Minister was taking measures to restore their past glory. Offering the gold bonam was part of this effort. He said Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had declared Bonalu as a state festival in 2014 and this year had sanctioned '15 crore to celebrate Bonalu on a grand scale by renovating temples and providing facilities for pilgrims.
Devotees from TS and AP and neighbouring states participate in the Bonalu festival every year. Mr Srinivas Yadav said, “The CM has released funds for making arrangements in all major Mahankali temples well ahead of the festival. The work is almost complete and final touches are being given. We are giving top priority for safety and security. CCTVs are being installed in all important public places near temples which will be monitored by police round the clock.” The Rangam event will be held on July 30 where predictions about the health and well-being of the people in the state will be made. The event will be followed by a procession of the deity on a elephant.
