Andhra Pradesh - Warangal   

People throng Beeranna Swamy Bonalu festival

— PHOTO: M. MURALI

Religious fervour: Women with ‘Bonalu’ at the Beeranna temple in Warangal on Sunday.

WARANGAL: Scores of women in their traditional attire carrying ‘Bonalu’ queued up in the lanes and bylanes of Karimabad area. Hundreds of people thronged the place to attend to the annual `Beeranna Swamy Bonalu’ festival. People in large numbers parked themselves on the buildings in the vicinity to see the ritual.

People dance to the beats of traditional percussion in gay abandon. The women who form long queues carrying bonalu walk over the sacrificed the animal. The festival celebrated on Ekadasi mainly by the Golla Kuruma community is the second largest Bonalu festival in Telangana region after of the Mahankali Bonalu of Hyderabad.

Women clad in colourful sarees and young girls in traditional `langa voni’ smeared in turmeric add colour to the celebrations. Potharjulu dance to the drum beats and people from all walks of life gather to enjoy the event.

Beeranna temple committee president and elderly man of Golla Kuruma community, Narige Bakkaiah said the festival is part of life of Lord Shiva. Lord Siva during his incarnation as Beeranna, a shepherd desires to marry his uncle’s daughter. His uncle, a land lord refuses to give his daughter to the poor shepherd. But, Beeranna moved by the love of the young woman hatches a plan and takes her away against the wishes of his uncle. The shepherd community considers Beeranna as incarnation of Lord Shiva and celebrates his courage and fearlessness. Every year, they offer prayers and celebrate Ekadasi because on this day, Beeranna marries his uncle’s daughter.

Warangal MLA B Saraiah, Congress leader Banda Prakash and several others were present.

The police made elaborate security arrangements for the festival to avoid any untoward incident during the festival.

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People throng Beeranna Swamy Bonalu festival

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