Women take spotlight during colourful bonalu celebrations

Hyderabad: It was a sight to behold with women attired in their traditional best carrying ‘bonam’ and walking alongside family and friends towards temples, as folk songs rent the air, while the pleasant weather made the colourful bonalu celebrations particularly enlivening here on Sunday.

It was a festive mood all around temples in the city with devotees turning up in large numbers and relished the carnival-like ambience.

Many officials and politicians visited temples presented silk clothes to the presiding deity.

Government agencies providing special bus services, drinking water, makeshift toilets and street-lighting drew praise for their commendable work.

At Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali Mandiram, Haribowli, Shalibanda, on behalf of the state government, IT minister Duddila Sridhar Babu and his wife Shailaja presented silk clothes to the deity. Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar offered ‘bonam’ to the deity.

Union ministers, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and G. Kishan Reddy were spotted in different temples as did endowment minister Konda Sureka, MPs M. Anil kumar yadav, D.K. Aruna, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Etala Rajendar.

There were massive queues of devotees at Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Lal darwaza right from the morning.

Mayor G. Vijayalakshmi presented silk clothes on behalf of the state government at Pochamma Devi temple in Karwan.