An inscription of the Krishnadevaraya era from Gobbūr, now housed in the State Archaeological Museum, Hyderabad, providing the earliest epigraphic reference to the Bōnālu festival in Telangana. | Photo credit: By arrangement
An inscription dating to the Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya’s reign has provided the earliest known epigraphic reference to the Bonalu festival in present-day Telangana and, according to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Director of Epigraphy K. Munirathnam Reddy, offers valuable historical evidence of the antiquity of the popular folk festival.
Significantly, the record states that these rituals and festivals were already in practice before the period mentioned in the inscription, suggesting that Bonalu has much older roots than previously attested. Scholars have also noted that practices such as Bonalu, Rangam, Kunamuggu and Pattnam (also known as Patnam), mentioned in the inscription, are still part of the living folk traditions of Telangana.
Munirathnam Reddy said the inscription, originally discovered in Gobburu, a border region between Telangana and Karnataka, is currently housed in the State Archaeological Museum in Hyderabad. Written in Telugu language and script, it is dated Saka 1438 (Dhatu year), Jyestha śukla tritiya, corresponding to 4 May 1516, Sunday.
According to the inscription, certain dues payable to the government—including taxes on Rangam (divination ritual), Kunamuggu, Gaddapattana and Bonola—were exempted. It also records a grant of land as sarvamanjam under the tanks of Pedacheruvu and Bollasamudram, in addition to earlier grants, for the celebration of the Bonalu festival in the presence of the deity at Kondapalli. The grants were made at the behest of Rayasam Kondamarasayya.
Director of Epigraphy, ASI, noted that the find adds an important historical dimension to the understanding of the festival, which is now widely associated with the worship of the goddess Mahakali.
Bonalu, an annual Hindu festival celebrated mainly in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and several other parts of Telangana, usually during Ashada Masam (July-August). Major celebrations are held in temples such as Sri Simhavahini Mahankali Temple and Akkanna Madanna Temple in Hyderabad and Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad.
One of the central rituals of the festival is the Rangam, a traditional divination ceremony believed to facilitate direct communication between the goddess and devotees. During this ritual, a woman – known as Vishwamatta or Shakti – goes into a trance and delivers predictions and messages. During the 2024 Bonal celebrations at the Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Temple, which began on July 22, a fortune-telling ritual drew large crowds, with a possessed woman expressing the goddess’s satisfaction with the offerings while issuing warnings and challenges for the coming year.
Published – 23 Dec 2025 19:57 IST
