Bonalu 2020 in Telangana starts on Sunday, 28 June and ends onSunday, 19 July 2020.
The Telangana government has decided to cancel this year’s Bonalu festival, one of the biggest traditional folk festivals in the state, due to the persistent threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was taken by the Telangana ministers from Hyderabad in consultation with various temple committees in the city that celebrate the festival in a big way every year. The Bonalu was declared a state festival by the Telangana government after the state’s formation in 2014.
“In fact, the Bonalu festival started in Hyderabad in 18th century when plague had broken out in the city claiming thousands of lives. It was goddess Mahankali which saved the people from the epidemic those days. This year, too, we wanted to celebrate to overcome Corona pandemic. It is not correct on the part of the government to cancel the celebrations,” argued G Niranjan, patron of Akkanan Madanna temple committee.
The Telangana government has decided to cancel this year’s Bonalu festival, one of the biggest traditional folk festivals in the state, due to the persistent threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was taken by the Telangana ministers from Hyderabad in consultation with various temple committees in the city that celebrate the festival in a big way every year. The Bonalu was declared a state festival by the Telangana government after the state’s formation in 2014.
“In fact, the Bonalu festival started in Hyderabad in 18th century when plague had broken out in the city claiming thousands of lives. It was goddess Mahankali which saved the people from the epidemic those days. This year, too, we wanted to celebrate to overcome Corona pandemic. It is not correct on the part of the government to cancel the celebrations,” argued G Niranjan, patron of Akkanan Madanna temple committee.