Bonalu

Holiday on a monday is indeed a blessing. No hangover of the weekend to bother you. So much so that you start looking forward to activity on a tuesday. Since the holiday was for Bonalu ,We decided why not? Let us go around the city and start chronicling what the festival was about.Traditional fervour and gaiety marked the two-day Bonalu festival in the old city on Sunday. Celebrations began in the early hours of the day with special pujas at all major temples as devotees thronged to offer ‘bonam’.

Women make the offering of rice, jaggery and curd carried in steel and clay pots. Serpentine queues were witnessed at the historic Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple at Shahalibanda and Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Lal Darwaza. Various other temples in Uppuguda, Aliabad, Gowlipura and Puranapul saw a huge rush of devotees.

The day was also marked by the appearance of ‘Potarajus’ who performed to the ever-present ‘teen maar’ beats.

Scores of people from various parts of the city descended on old city to take part in the celebrations. A small number of foreigners also joined the festivities.Tradition places the festival at around 1831 when there was supposedly a plague in the city . Locals had gone to Ujjain Mahankali temple to propitiate the goddess saying that they would place the idol of the goddess if the disease was eradicated. And so started the festival of bonalu. People dance and sing and make merry

On this special occasion women dress up in the traditional Sari combining it with jewels and other accessories. Teenage Girls wear Half-Sarees/Lehenga Choli combining it with jewels in order to bring out the traditional grace of the attire.

Some Tranced women dance with balancing pots (Bonam), to the rhythmic beats of drums in honour of the local Goddess. To ward off evil spirits, in olden days, people used to sacrifice a male buffalo in front of the temple, but now, roosters are sometimes sacrificed.

Women carrying Bonalu are believed to possess the spirit of Mother Goddess, and when they go towards the temple, people pour water on their feet to pacify the spirit, who, by nature, is believed to be aggressive.

Pothuraju is the brother of Mother Goddess, is represented in the procession by a well-built, bare-bodied man, wearing a small tightly drapedred dhoti and bells on his ankles, and anointed with turmeric on his body and vermilion on his forehead. He dances to resounding drums.

In addition most of the people  I met were high on spirits and absolutely in the mood for dancing and cavorting around. Believe it or not there was even a village fair not far from the city with the giant wheel and merry go round in full swing. Kids were screaming on the top of their voices and the adults were doing their best to keep them under control

The Procession finally ends at the temple which is gaily decorated with lights and the mood is festive all round. While we were standing there drinking in the scenes of this rustic festival we heard the sounds of siren and the policemen jumped to activity pushing all the people to a side. It was the time for the VIP to make an appearance and put on a show of whole hearted participation in the ongoing festivities. Being taller than most I got a glimse of the VIP. He had a hunted look on his face. Allmost like he was saying to himself-" Right let us get over with it.

And then he was swept away in the mass of humanity . It was clear that he was out of his depth and feared for his safety as he desperately looked around for the police who were allegedly there for his protection and nothing else...

By tomorrow many people will wake up to a giant hangover and again pick up the threads of the life which they had let loose on friday evening in anticipation of an extended weekend. My Feeling is one of awe and wonder . If we can harness this religious fervour into building a better nation we would be very well off...