Archive · 30 Jun 2025
Bonalu Festival: Dates, Rituals, and Significance for 2025
Bonalu is a big celebration in certain cities where people worship the goddess Mahakali.
It happens every year during a specific month.
People celebrate it because they are thankful to the goddess for protecting them from a disease a long time ago.
During the festival, women carry pots of specially cooked rice to the temples as an offering.
It's a lively event with people dressing up and dancing.
The festival starts at the end of June and goes on for a few weeks, with different temples being visited on different Sundays.
Bonalu is a festival celebrated in Telangana, Hyderabad, and Secunderabad, dedicated to Goddess Mahakali.
It is observed annually during Ashada Masam.
The festival's origins trace back to the 19th century and a plague in Hyderabad.
Women carry pots of cooked rice, decorated with traditional items, to temples.
The festival starts June 29 and ends July 20.
- Who
- Devotees of Goddess Mahakali.
- What
- A festival dedicated to Goddess Mahakali.
- When
- Starting June 29 and ending July 20.
- Where
- Telangana, Hyderabad, and Secunderabad.
- Why
- To offer thanks to the goddess for protection and to celebrate the festive spirit.
- Goddess
- Mahakali
- Month
- Ashada Masam
- Meaning of Bonalu
- A feast or meal
- Rituals
- Offering rice pots to the goddess
- Start Date
- June 29
- End Date
- July 20