People buy mango leaves ahead of Ugadi festival at Badichowdi market in Hyderabad. | Photo credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
Hyderabad slipped into a quieter rhythm on Thursday as homes, temples and markets came alive to celebrate Ugadi, the Telugu New Year observed along with Gudi Padwa, each marking the first day of the Chaitra month and the start of a new agricultural cycle.
At dawn, the city moved not with traffic, but with the gentle sweep of brooms and the splash of water on the doorstep. In neighborhoods from Turkamjyal to Ramanthapur, Banjara Hills to Kondapur, door thresholds have turned into canvases of intricate rangolis, framed with mango leaf garlands and marigold garlands. Some houses built elaborate entrances with banana stems and bamboo.
Published – 19 March 2026 20:08 IST
