Hyderabad, Aug. 9 -- Hyderabad's Old City was decked up as celebrations for the two-day annual Bonalu festival began on Sunday, August 9, amid tight security.

Large crowds of devotees, mainly women carrying bonams or earthen pots decorated with neem leaves and a small lamp, queued up in front of Sri Simhavahini Mahankali Temple at Lal Darwaza and temples in Sultan Shahi, Hari Bowli and Uppuguda, to get a glimpse of Goddess Mahankali. Devotees offered cooked rice mixed with milk, jaggery and curd to her.

The festival will conclude on Monday, August 10, with traditional ghatam processions passing through historic areas including Charminar and Shahalibanda before culminating at the Nayapool immersion point near the Musi River.

Several maj...