Hyderabad: 74th Bonalu festival at Akkanna Madanna Temple from July 15

Hyderabad: The 400-year old Akkanna-Madanna Mahankali temple will celebrate the 74th annual Bonalu and Mahankali Jathara festival from July 15 on a grand scale. The Temple Committee is making all the arrangements with the help of the Police, GHMC, Endowment Department, Electricity, HMWSSB, R&B, Forest and other Government departments for large-scale celebrations of this year's Bonalu festival.

According to the temple committee, the 'Samuhika Kunkumarchana' by women devotees on every Friday in the month of Aashadam would start from July 1 in which hundreds of Women devotees will participate and pray to the Mahankali Matha for the welfare of their families and society.

The Bonalu festival will begin from July 15 with Maaha Abhishekam to Sri Mahankali Matha and Kalasha Sthapana Puja followed by Dwajarohana and will end on July 26.

The main Bonalu festival will be celebrated on Sunday July 24, in which Matha devotees from twin cities and surrounding districts will visit the temple to have darshan and blessings of Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali Matha. On July 25 , Sri Mahankali Jathara and procession will be held after Potharaju Swagatham followed by Rangam at, Sri Matheswari Matha Ghatam will be taken out in a procession on a well decorated Elephant and will pass through Lal Darwaza X road, Shalibanda, Charminar, via Madina building and reach Sri Mahankali Mandiram at Delhi Darwaza on the Musi River.

The temple is situation in Hari Bowli and is famous for its historic significance and has been a starting point of the annual procession for the last seven decades.