TELANGANA: April 2011

Bonalu is a Hindu festival celebrated in parts of Telangana and Rayalaseema in Andrapradesh, India. It is Very famous in Hyderabad, secunderabad and in Telangana region. The Word Bonalu came from "Bhojanalu" meaning food, which is offered to the goddess during festival time. It is celebrated during ashada masam.
It is believed that during Ashada Maasam, the Goddess comes back to her maternal home. So people come to see her and bring offerings of food (Bonalu) to show their love and affection, just as they would prepare a special meal when their own daughters visit them. To ward off evil spirits, in olden days, people used to sacrifice a male buffalo in front of the temple, but now, roosters are sometimes sacrificed.

Goddess at Secunderabad Mahakali temple

Woman with Bonam
Bonalu means Bojanaalu (meal) in Telugu, is an offering to the Goddess of power. Women prepare Bonam with cooked rice, milk, sugar, onions in a pot, decorated with small neem breanches and turmeric, kunkum and a Lamp on the top it. Women put the pots on their heads and take it to Goddess temple, led by drummers and dancing men.

Women carrying Bonalu for offering to Goddess

Woman under trance

Potharaju

Potharaju, the brother of Mother Goddess, is represented in the procession by a well-built, bare-bodied man, wearing a small tightly draped red dhoti and bells on his ankles, and anointed with turmeric on his body and vermilion on his forehead. He dances to resounding drums.
He always dances before the Palaharam Bandi, the procession. He is considered the initiator of the festivities and the protector of the community. He leads the tranced female dancers who are under spell of the Mother Goddess (known as shigam) to the temple, with lashing whips and emerald neem leaves (margosa) tied around their waists, accompanied by trumpets and drums.

Ghatam

`Ghatams' or decorated pots filled with flowers, which are carried on the heads by the women folk in a procession. Cooked rice is also taken in brass vessels or in clay pots decorated with neem leaves.

This information is taken from below link

http://www.aryabhatt.com/fast_fair_festival/Festivals/Bonalu.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonalu

Bathukamma is a festival celebrated in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is especially celebrated by Hindu women. It is celebrated before Durgashtami festival.

Women prepare Bathukamma with all beautiful flowers in their home and they put Goddess Gouri on top of it. In the evening every one will gather at one place and they will put their Bathukamma in one place then by singing folk songs with claps they move around Bathukamma. After that they leave Bathukamma in water and share the special food which brought from home.