'Bonalu' is a ritual in honour of the Mother goddesses; but, in practice, it has developed ritual dances ancillary to it. Bonalu a short form for Bhojanalu which means "MEALS", is a ritual offering of meals to the mother Goddess. This is a festival of Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh.The Festival is celebrated during the month of ASHADA (July to August) for 7 days in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and surrounding.
This festival is believed to have begun in 1869 when a huge epidemic of plague broke in the twin cities. The people wanted to appease Mother Goddess whose ire was considered to be the cause for the epidemic.
The several Goddesses - Ujjaini Mahankali, Mysamma, Pochamma, Katta Mysamma,
Dokkalamma, etc. - are worshipped with devotion. The Meal offerings made to the goddesses are of two kinds: annual thanks giving and fulfilment of vows taken. The second type involved a more intense participation in the festival and the devotees are required to march with the procession on an evening along with the image of the Goddess.Meal offering is a typical Mother Goddess worshipping ritual of South India. This meal consists of taking cooked rice, water, sometimes pickles and onion in different pots kept as a pattern of smaller over the bigger ones with a lamp at the top. Usually this vertical Battery of pots decorated in sacred colours (White, Yellow and Red). This colours are called as PASUPU, KUNKUM, and KADI.
The pujari carrying the image of the Goddess(ghatam), with four d
appus announcing Her arrival to the locality sets the pace of the procession. At each door-step the pujari stops and receives the offerings of the women folk. They honour the Goddess by worshipping the feet of the pujari. He is mainly accompanied by Potharaju, the protector of the village or the locality. . Potharaju enthuses the people's involvement by dancing to the rhythms of the dappus. Others join the dance. It becomes a community dance, only by the male members of the community, while the women carry 'bonalu' in decorated vessels, with flames burning on them. Potharaju's dress is awe-inspiring. A bare-bodied, well-built man, he wears a turmeric-coloured dhoti and a dhatti around his waist. He wears a garland and a large kum-kum mark on his forehead.
The seven-day long festival is celebrated by the young and old; by men as well as by women. Dance in this festival, is only ancillary and its purpose is to invoke people to participate in the community's celebrations, besides the devotees expressing their faith through rhythmic body movement.
This festival is believed to have begun in 1869 when a huge epidemic of plague broke in the twin cities. The people wanted to appease Mother Goddess whose ire was considered to be the cause for the epidemic.
The several Goddesses - Ujjaini Mahankali, Mysamma, Pochamma, Katta Mysamma,
Dokkalamma, etc. - are worshipped with devotion. The Meal offerings made to the goddesses are of two kinds: annual thanks giving and fulfilment of vows taken. The second type involved a more intense participation in the festival and the devotees are required to march with the procession on an evening along with the image of the Goddess.Meal offering is a typical Mother Goddess worshipping ritual of South India. This meal consists of taking cooked rice, water, sometimes pickles and onion in different pots kept as a pattern of smaller over the bigger ones with a lamp at the top. Usually this vertical Battery of pots decorated in sacred colours (White, Yellow and Red). This colours are called as PASUPU, KUNKUM, and KADI.The pujari carrying the image of the Goddess(ghatam), with four d
appus announcing Her arrival to the locality sets the pace of the procession. At each door-step the pujari stops and receives the offerings of the women folk. They honour the Goddess by worshipping the feet of the pujari. He is mainly accompanied by Potharaju, the protector of the village or the locality. . Potharaju enthuses the people's involvement by dancing to the rhythms of the dappus. Others join the dance. It becomes a community dance, only by the male members of the community, while the women carry 'bonalu' in decorated vessels, with flames burning on them. Potharaju's dress is awe-inspiring. A bare-bodied, well-built man, he wears a turmeric-coloured dhoti and a dhatti around his waist. He wears a garland and a large kum-kum mark on his forehead.The seven-day long festival is celebrated by the young and old; by men as well as by women. Dance in this festival, is only ancillary and its purpose is to invoke people to participate in the community's celebrations, besides the devotees expressing their faith through rhythmic body movement.
1 comment:
The pic of goddess here is of Sri Bhaishura temple of secunderabad near our house and the crown of goddess is our donation.
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