🔱 Bonalu Festival in Chevella
Bonalu is one of Telangana’s most powerful and traditional festivals, celebrated with great devotion in Chevella every year. Dedicated to Goddess Mahakali, the festival is a grand expression of gratitude, faith, and protection for the community.
In Chevella, the Bonalu celebrations usually take place during the Ashada month (July–August) according to the Hindu calendar. The festival is marked by vibrant processions, traditional music, and the rhythmic beats of dappu drums echoing through the streets.
Women play a central role in the celebration — they carry decorated pots (Bonam) on their heads, filled with rice, jaggery, curd, and water, symbolizing offerings to the Goddess. These Bonams are adorned with neem leaves, turmeric, and vermilion, representing purity and devotion.
Men accompany the procession, some dressed as Pothurajus — symbolic protectors of the Goddess — dancing with energy and devotion. Temples dedicated to Mahakali, Yellamma, and other local deities become the heart of the celebration, decorated with flowers, lights, and colorful rangolis.
The festival concludes with prayers, traditional dances, and community feasts, where people from all walks of life come together to celebrate the strength of womanhood, divine power, and cultural unity.
Bonalu in Chevella beautifully reflects the spiritual spirit and cultural pride of Telangana, blending devotion with dazzling local traditions.