Fiery Finish: Folk artists put on a show as Bonalu comes to a close.

Extravagant temple processions, grand parades, folk artistes in colourful attires dancing their hearts out to pulsating drum beats — the Old City of Hyderabad wore a carnivalesque look as

Bonalu

festivities concluded on Monday. For a few hours, it seemed like COVID-19 was a thing of the past as thousands gathered for the festivities, most of them without a mask and ignoring all COVID protocols. G Anand, a resident of Shalibanda, summed up the mood among the devotees, when he quipped, “How many years can we stay indoors living in fear? If the virus has to get us, it will anyway. Might as well live the way we want to and celebrate festivals the way they are meant to be celebrated.”

And celebrate they did. Several processions dotted the bylanes of Lal Darwaza, Hari Bowli, Shalibanda, Charminar and other parts of Old City. The largest procession was the

Mahankali Jatara

led by the mighty

Jumbo Laxmi

, who carried the

Mata Ghatam of

Akkanna Madanna temple at Hari Bowli. A portrait of the Goddess, kept atop elephant Menaka was followed by thousands of devotees.

Gaja Laxmi Menaka

, the 34-year-old elephant from Karnataka, which shot to fame after featuring in the film Baahubali, was the star attraction as people gathered around to take her blessings.

The procession was welcomed by various temple committees with a grand parade that included huge banners and colourful flowers. The youth danced around with abandon while the

Pothurajus

, with their turmeric-smeared bodies, were among the star attraction as they danced to the teen maar beats. Several folk artistes and cultural troupes from across Telangana were part of the festivities and put on a good show. Also among the main attractions were ornate vehicles carrying kids and artistes dressed as mythological characters.

Vittal, Secretary of Lal Darwaza temple, said “With the blessings of the Mata, we have celebrated Bonalu after a gap of one year. We as temple management made all the arrangements following COVID protocols. Throughout the procession, announcements were made urging devotees to follow COVID guidelines. The public participated in large numbers to take the blessings of

Mahankali

and prayed for normalcy again.”