Bonalu Festival
Bonalu is a Hindu event of the Goddess of power, Mahakali, famous in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and areas of Telangana and Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, India.It is famous in the 30 days of Ashada masam, in July/August. Unique poojas are conducted for Yellamma on the first and last day of the event.The event is also regarded a thanksgiving to the Goddess for fulfillment of vows. Bonam indicates Bojanaalu or a food in Telugu, is an providing to the Goddess. Females carry cooked rice with milk, sugar sometimes onions in a brass or earthen pot, adorned with small neem branches and turmeric, vermilion (kunkum) or Kadi (white chalk) and a lamp on the top. Women place the pots on their heads and take it to Goddess temple, led by drummers and dancing men. Goddess wats or temples have names such as Mysamma, Pochamma, Yellamma, Pedamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremma, Pochamme, Maramma, Yellammma, Nookalamma etc. and are decorated with unique lighting buntings and festoons.

History of Bonalu Festival:
The event history has began in 1813 in Hyderabad and Secuderabad. Plague disease broke out in Hyderabad around that time claiming thousands of lives. Individuals considered that the illness was caused by the anger of Mother Goddess. So people provided bonalu(Bojanalu) to Mother Goddess Mahankali. Potharaju, the brother of Mother Goddess, is showed in the procession by a well-built, bare-bodied man, dressed in a little firmly covered red dhoti and bells on his legs, and anointed with turmeric extract on his whole body and vermilion on his forehead. He dances to resounding drums. He always dances before the Palaharam Bandi, the procession. He is regarded the initiator of the celebrations and the guard of the group. He brings the tranced women dancers who are under magic of the Mother Goddess (known as shigam) to the temple, with lashing whips and ruby natures neem results in (margosa) linked around their waists, accompanied by trumpets and drums.