Bonalu is an important annual ritual held at the famous Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple at Secunderabad in the Telugu Month of Ashada. In 2011, Bonalu Festival at Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple is on July 17. Rangam festival will be observed on July 18, 2011. Bonalu is an important Hindu festival dedicated to Mother Goddess in the Telangana region and is a major event in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Temple is an important temple dedicated to Shakti worship in Telangana. The deity was installed here in the beginning of 19th century by some devotees from Ujjaini in Madhya Pradesh.
The devotees were part of an army contingent and when they arrived at Secunderabad, the place was hit by a major cholera outbreak in which thousands of people died. The cholera outbreak subsided after prayers were offered to the deity.
The main ritual includes offering of cooked rice with jaggery to Goddess Mahankali. The pot with offering is decorated with neem leaves. Other offerings include water.