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Bonalu in Hyderabad: following the goddess from Golconda to the Old City
Pots of sweet rice crowned with lamps, carried on women's heads to the goddess
In Hyderabad Bonalu is not one day but a month of temple Sundays that moves across the city: it opens at Golconda Fort, peaks at the Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad and, a week later, at Lal Darwaza in the Old City. Dates: 8 July – 1 August 2027 (expected), with the Secunderabad Sunday on 25 July 2027 (expected). For a short trip, arrive on the Saturday before one of the two big Sundays and stay for the Monday.
Through Ashada the goddess is fed temple by temple across Hyderabad; the peaks are the Secunderabad Sunday, with the Rangam oracle next morning, and a week later the Old City Sunday at Lal Darwaza.
Where to watch
Sri Jagadambika (Jagadamba Mahankali) temple, Golconda Fort: the season opens here. The temple keeps nine bonams on the Thursdays and Sundays of Ashada (in 2026 the first was on Thursday 16 July). Ask at the gate whether the fort's entry ticket applies on bonam days.
Sri Ujjaini Mahankali temple, Secunderabad: near General Bazaar. The largest single Bonalu day, with separate queues for general devotees and for women carrying bonam, and the Rangam oracle the next morning. About 2,500 police were on duty in 2026.
Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple, Lal Darwaza: the Old City Sunday, with the biggest crowd of the season. Six queue lines, two of them for holders of temple-issued passes. Traffic is restricted 04:00–23:30 on both festival days; parking at Devi Plywood (Shalibanda), Alka theatre (Nagulchinta) and the Charminar bus terminus.
Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali temple, Hari Bowli: the start of the Ghatam procession on the Monday; the lanes around it close to vehicles.
Balkampet Yellamma temple: the goddess's wedding rite (Kalyanotsavam) on its own dates within Ashada (20–22 July in 2026).
Pochamma and Katta Maisamma temples, Chilkalguda: part of the run of temples after Golconda and Secunderabad; their dates are set by their own committees.
Free viewing
- Hari Bowli, where the Ghatam procession is flagged off after a puja
- Lal Darwaza crossroads, where the convoy turns and the folk troupes perform
- Charminar and Gulzar Houz, the widest points on the route
- Pathergatti, on the run down to the river
- The Musi bank at Nayapul for the immersion
- The approach lanes to Ujjaini Mahankali in Secunderabad on the main Sunday, where the bonam lines form
Programme
Saturday: Secunderabad before the crowd
Walk the Secunderabad temple approach while queues are still short. The Ghatotsavam (Edurukolu), which installs the goddess's ghatam and opens the temple's Ashada observance, happens roughly two weeks before the main Sunday, so by this point the temple is already dressed.
Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple, Secunderabad
Saturday evening: the bonam stalls of General Bazaar
Lanes around the temple fill with stalls selling bonam pots, bangles and saris. The pot itself is new earthenware or brass, dressed with neem leaves, turmeric and vermilion, and filled with rice cooked with milk and jaggery.
General Bazaar and the streets around Ujjaini Mahankali
Sunday: Bonalu at Ujjaini Mahankali, Secunderabad
Rituals and offerings begin. Women arrive in lines carrying the bonam on their heads; the Endowments Department runs separate queues for general devotees and for women carrying bonam.
Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple, Secunderabad
Sunday: Potharaju and the drums, Secunderabad
Potharaju dances ahead of the lines: a bare-chested man in a short red dhoti with ankle bells, turmeric and vermilion on his body, moving to heavy drums. He is the goddess's brother and traditionally leads the procession.
Streets leading to the temple
Monday: the Rangam, Secunderabad
Rangam. A woman held to be possessed by the goddess stands barefoot on a wet earthen pot before the deity and answers questions about the year ahead.
Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple, Secunderabad
Monday: the procession from the temple, Secunderabad
Gajavahana Seva, followed by the ceremonial elephant procession from the temple.
Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple, Secunderabad
The following Sunday: Bonalu at Lal Darwaza, Old City
Bonalu at the Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple. Traffic restrictions around the temple run from 4 am to 11.30 pm on both this day and the next, and buses are kept off the Charminar, Falaknuma and Nayapul approaches.
Sri Simhavahini Mahankali Temple, Lal Darwaza
The following Monday: the Ghatam leaves Hari Bowli
The Matha Ghatam of the Akkanna Madanna temple leaves Hari Bowli on a caparisoned elephant, flagged off by the Hyderabad City Police Commissioner after puja. Around 25 temples send their own ghatams behind it.
Sri Akkanna Madanna Temple, Hari Bowli, Shalibanda
The following Monday: the Ghatam route
The route runs from Hari Bowli through Bela, Nehru Statue, Lal Darwaza crossroads, Shalibanda, Charminar, Gulzar Houz and Pathergatti / Madina, ending at Nayapul.
Old City streets between Hari Bowli and Nayapul
The following Monday: immersion at Nayapul
The ghatams reach the Mahankali temple at Delhi Darwaza by the Musi at Nayapul and are immersed, closing the Ashada season.
Nayapul, Musi river
How the month runs in Hyderabad
The order of temples is fixed by custom; the exact days are set each year by the Telangana endowments department, about eight weeks ahead, and by the temple committees.
- Opening: Golconda
The Jagadamba Mahankali temple inside Golconda Fort opens the season on the first Thursday or Sunday of Ashadha and keeps nine bonam days on the Thursdays and Sundays that follow. Easy to combine with a visit to the fort. Ask at the gate whether the fort ticket applies on bonam days.
- Balkampet and Chilkalguda
The Balkampet Yellamma temple holds the goddess’s wedding rite, the Kalyanotsavam, on its own days within Ashadha; the Pochamma and Katta Maisamma temples at Chilkalguda follow their committees’ dates.
- 25 July 2027 (expected): the Secunderabad Sunday
One of the two biggest days, at the Ujjaini Mahankali temple near General Bazaar, the shrine founded after the epidemic of 1813. Offerings start at about 04:00, with separate queues for women carrying a bonam and for other devotees.
- The Monday after: Rangam
At about 08:30 the next morning the Rangam oracle is held at the Secunderabad temple, followed by the ghatam processions.
- A week later: the Old City
The Sri Simhavahini Mahankali temple at Lal Darwaza, south of Charminar, has the biggest crowd of the season. On the Monday the ghatam procession leaves the Akkanna Madanna temple at Hari Bowli, passes Lal Darwaza, Charminar, Gulzar Houz and Pathergatti, and reaches the Musi at Nayapul in the evening for the immersion.
Secunderabad or Lal Darwaza: which weekend to choose
Secunderabad is the one to choose if you want to see the bonam itself. The approach lanes to Ujjaini Mahankali fill with women carrying pots from before dawn, and staying the night means you also see the Rangam on Monday morning. Arrive on the Saturday: two nights cover the Sunday and the Monday.
Lal Darwaza is the Old City’s festival and the bigger street spectacle: drummers, Pothuraju dancers, folk troupes at the Lal Darwaza crossroads and, on the Monday, the long ghatam procession down to the river. It is also the most crowded. In a recent year about 2,400 police worked in two shifts at the Lal Darwaza temple, with drones and extra CCTV cameras along the procession routes.
With ten nights you can see both weekends, from the Saturday before the Secunderabad Sunday to the Old City Monday. Demand for rooms concentrates on the two Sundays rather than spreading across the month.
Getting around on festival days
Each week’s events are in a different quarter, so you can stay anywhere in the city; the metro reaches most of them.
- Expect closed roads — Around Lal Darwaza traffic is restricted from about 04:00 to 23:30 on both festival days. Hyderabad traffic police publish diversions and parking points (Shalibanda, Nagulchinta, the Charminar bus terminus) before the festival.
- Walk the last stretch — With the lanes around the temples closed to vehicles, cars cannot take you to the door. Plan to walk the last part, and to walk back out before looking for a ride.
- Passes at Lal Darwaza — The Lal Darwaza temple runs six queue lines, two of them for holders of temple-issued passes. Without a pass, join the general line early in the day.
- Crowd basics — The UK government notes that stampedes have occurred at large religious gatherings in India. Go with company, agree a meeting point away from the temple, and follow police barricades.
- Temple manners — Cover shoulders and knees, leave shoes at the door, keep out of the women’s bonam queue and give way to anyone carrying a pot. See the temple dress code for Hyderabad.
Before you go
What the bonam, Pothuraju and the Rangam mean, and how the festival began, is on the main Bonalu page. Other festivals of the city are on festivals in Hyderabad.
FAQ
What is the date of Bonalu in Hyderabad?
8 July – 1 August 2027 (expected). The Secunderabad Sunday is 25 July 2027 (expected) and the Old City Sunday at Lal Darwaza a week later. The temple-by-temple schedule comes out about eight weeks ahead.
Where is Bonalu celebrated in Hyderabad?
At the goddess’s temples across the city in turn: Jagadamba Mahankali at Golconda Fort, Ujjaini Mahankali in Secunderabad, Balkampet Yellamma, Pochamma and Katta Maisamma at Chilkalguda, Akkanna Madanna at Hari Bowli and Simhavahini Mahankali at Lal Darwaza.
What is Secunderabad Bonalu?
The Sunday of the Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad, one of the festival’s two biggest days, followed on Monday morning by the Rangam oracle. The temple was founded after the epidemic of 1813.
Is Bonalu a holiday in Hyderabad?
Yes, Bonalu is Telangana’s state festival with a public holiday; its date is in the state holiday list published in early December. The temples and processions are busiest on the Sundays.
How many days do I need for Bonalu in Hyderabad?
Two nights cover one big weekend: arrive on the Saturday, see the Sunday offerings and the Monday Rangam or procession. About ten nights cover both the Secunderabad and the Old City weekends.
Sources (7)
- Bonalu, Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana
- Telangana Bonalu, Incredible India
- India travel advice: safety and security, FCDO
- Traffic advisory for Lal Darwaza Bonalu, Telangana Today
- Ghatam procession to mark second day of Bonalu, Telangana Today
- Sajjanar inspects Bonalu security at Laldarwaja temple, Deccan Chronicle
- Siasat
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.