Hyderabad, August 2: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy visited the historic Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad on Sunday and offered silk robes to Goddess Mahankali as part of the annual Lashkar Bonalu celebrations.
The Chief Minister performed special prayers at the temple and sought the blessings of Goddess Mahankali. He was accompanied by Ministers Konda Surekha, Ponnam Prabhakar and Seethakka, along with several MLAs and MLCs.
Earlier in the day, Ponnam Prabhakar offered the first Bonam to the deity on behalf of the Telangana government, following the traditional customs associated with the festival.
Thousands of devotees gathered at the temple from the early hours of Sunday to participate in the Bonalu celebrations, making the temple precincts and surrounding areas crowded throughout the day.
Temple authorities and the district administration made extensive arrangements to facilitate the smooth movement of devotees.
Three queue lines were set up for general devotees, while two separate queues were arranged for those carrying Bonam offerings. Officials expect lakhs of devotees to visit the temple during the festival.
Police deployed extensive security personnel across the temple premises and surrounding areas, supported by CCTV surveillance to monitor crowd movement.
To ensure the convenience of devotees, the administration also established drinking water facilities, medical camps and ambulance services through the Health Department.
The annual Lashkar Bonalu festival is one of Telangana’s most significant cultural and religious celebrations, drawing devotees from across the State to the 200-year-old Ujjaini Mahankali Temple.
