Bonalu fervor grips Hyderabad and Secunderabad

The weekend that went by saw the streets of

Secunderabad

and Lal Darwaza transform into a stage for a surreal

cosplay

. Everyone from the mighty Shiva and his consort Parvati, to the many ganas and gandarvas from his entourage, to Hanuman and the protector of women — Potharaju, were out there celebrating

Bonalu

, the festival of thanksgiving to Godess Mahankali. A one-of-its-kind celebration, the jatra
pays tribute to the Divine Mother who is worshiped in her myriad forms — Mysamma, Pochamma, Nookalamma, Yellamma, Peddhamma, Poleramma, Maremma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma...

The streets leading up to the Mahankali temples of Secunderabad and Lal Darwaza were flooded with crowds who thronged to get a dekko of the spectacle. Artistes decked up as deities from the Hindu pantheon as well as asuras from the netherworld, roamed the roads, swaying, shrieking and dancing to the frenzied drum beats, even as onlookers whipped out their cell phones to capture the colourful carnival.

The bandwalas, meanwhile, indulged in a war of sounds, as they drummed away on their dhol, dappu, duggalu, paashalu in a bid to show off their one-upmanship. The result? A trance-inducing cacophony of beats that reverberated far and wide, getting under your skin, till your heart thumped to its beats, forcing you to break into a dance. And dance they did — men, women and children, as they matched their moves with the haldi-smeared, whip-wielding pothrajus. Then there were the folk dancers, brass bells tied on their ankles, pulling off gravity defying stunts as they made gigantic human pyramids, and cartwheeled around crossroads, that were cordoned off for the colourful processions. Monday saw the much revered oracles making an appearance to reveal what the year has in store.