KTR Says KCR Granted Bonalu Official State Festival Status in Telangana

BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) visited the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad on Sunday as part of the ongoing Ashada Bonalu celebrations, where he offered special prayers to the presiding deity.

KTR was accompanied by several senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, including former ministers G. Jagadish Reddy and Talasani Srinivas Yadav, along with Amberpet MLA Kaleru Venkatesh and other party representatives.

Sharing his message on the social media platform X after the temple visit, KTR said devotees across Hyderabad and Secunderabad were offering Bonam to Goddess Mahankali with deep faith and devotion. He described Bonalu as an integral part of Telangana's cultural and spiritual heritage.

Recalling the party's tenure in power, KTR said that despite repeated demands before the formation of Telangana, previous governments had not accorded Bonalu the status of a state festival. He credited former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) with officially recognising Bonalu as a State Festival after the BRS came to power. According to KTR, KCR also personally offered the traditional Golden Bonam to the goddess, symbolising the government's commitment to preserving Telangana's cultural traditions.

KTR further highlighted the BRS government's efforts to strengthen religious and cultural infrastructure across the state. He said the government had allocated financial assistance to temple committees every year to ensure the Bonalu festivities were conducted on a grand scale.

He also pointed to the ₹1,800-crore redevelopment of the Yadadri Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, describing it as another landmark initiative undertaken during the KCR government's tenure to promote Telangana's spiritual heritage.

During his prayers at the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple, KTR sought the blessings of the goddess for good rainfall, agricultural prosperity, and the well-being of farmers across the state.

As in previous years, the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple remained the focal point of the Bonalu celebrations, drawing thousands of devotees for one of Telangana's most significant religious festivals.