Jun – 2025: The Golconda Fort Bonalu Festival Photowalk Part 1, Celebrating Hyderabad’s Living Tradition
Every meetup until now had added a new chapter to our journey. Each month brought a different experience, a different lesson, and a different way of seeing photography. We had walked through the streets, celebrated festivals, learned from inspiring speakers, explored the skies with drones, and even celebrated Telangana’s Ugadi by giving back to the Rythu Bazar vegetable vendors through photo prints. As June arrived, it was time to step into the vibrant world of Bonalu, a festival that fills the streets of Hyderabad with faith, devotion, tradition, and powerful emotions.
By now, ShutterSociety.HYD was no longer a new community. Six months of continuous meetups had given all of us valuable experience in planning and organizing photography events. Together with Mr. Sai Thejeshwar Rao, Mr. Cherry Mokka, and our incredible team of volunteers and common friends, we had learned something new from every meetup. This time, we were ready to take our community into one of Hyderabad’s most celebrated festivals.
Unlike Holi, Bonalu was already familiar to the three of us. We had photographed the festival in previous years and understood its rituals, important locations, timings, and the challenges of photographing such a large public celebration. That experience helped us confidently choose the Bonalu celebrations at Golconda Fort for our June meetup.
Bonalu is much more than a colorful festival. It is one of Hyderabad’s most important cultural and spiritual celebrations, dedicated to Goddess Mahakali.
Women carry beautifully decorated Bonams as offerings, traditional drummers fill the streets with powerful rhythms, Pothuraju leads the procession with unmatched energy, and every corner of the festival tells a story of devotion, tradition, and community.
For photographers, it offers countless opportunities to document emotion, culture, portraits, rituals, and moments that can only be experienced in Hyderabad.
The best festival photographs are not only colorful, they preserve culture for the generations to come.
Once the date was finalized, we officially announced our June Bonalu Photowalk. Since the celebrations continued throughout the day, we planned it as a full-day meetup from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Members were free to join or leave at any time, but those who stayed throughout the day would experience every important part of the festival.
As the morning arrived, photographers slowly gathered at our meeting point. Along with many familiar faces, we were happy to welcome several first-time members into the community. As usual, we distributed ID cards to the new members before beginning the meetup.
Before entering Golconda Fort, we conducted a short briefing about the festival. We explained the significance of Bonalu, the expected crowd movement throughout the day, the animal sacrifice area for those interested in documentary photography, and the importance of respecting every ritual while photographing.
We also encouraged members to think beyond individual photographs and try creating a small documentary that could help people from other parts of India understand the true spirit of Bonalu.
Since nearly seventy members had joined us, along with many photographers from other communities covering the festival, we suggested everyone work together in small groups. This helped ensure that every photographer had an opportunity to capture important moments without unnecessary crowding around the rituals.
As we entered the fort, we paused for a group photograph before everyone naturally spread across different parts of the celebrations. Some photographers documented women preparing their Bonams, while others captured Joginis getting ready before the rituals began. A few members chose to document the animal sacrifice area as part of their visual storytelling, while others focused on portraits, candid moments, and the atmosphere surrounding the temple.
Hours passed without anyone noticing. Every corner of Golconda Fort offered another story waiting to be captured.
Around the afternoon, we all gathered together for lunch and the temple prasadam inside the fort. After several hours of continuous shooting, everyone finally had a chance to relax, exchange photographs, and share their experiences from the morning.
The break did not last very long. As the sound of traditional dhols echoed through the fort, our amazing, passionate people naturally became part of the celebration.
Cameras were lowered for a while as many of us joined the dancing, laughter, and joyful atmosphere. Like every ShutterSociety.HYD meetup, we were not just documenting the festival. We were living it together.
One moment everyone was eagerly waiting for was the arrival of Pothuraju. Even before the procession began, many of us gathered where he was getting ready.
We photographed every stage of the transformation, from the face painting and traditional makeup to the final costume. Watching him prepare was just as fascinating as the procession itself, and once he stepped out, every camera was ready to capture the energy of the moment.
By the time the evening approached, we had spent almost an entire day documenting one of Hyderabad’s richest cultural traditions. More importantly, we had experienced it together.
The first time members no longer felt like newcomers, while familiar faces had become close friends. Watching nearly seventy photographers spread across the festival, respectfully documenting traditions while helping one another, was a proud moment for all of us.
Some moments are too powerful to simply watch. They deserve to be remembered.
As always, the conversations continued even after the cameras were packed away. Members shared their favorite photographs, discussed documentary ideas, and already began talking about the next meetup. Six months earlier, many of these people had been complete strangers. Now, they were slowly becoming a photography family.
As always, the conversations continued even after the cameras were packed away. Members shared their favorite photographs, discussed documentary ideas, and already began talking about the next meetup. Six months earlier, many of these people had been complete strangers. Now, they were slowly becoming a photography family.
A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. — Mahatma Gandhi
Thank you to every community member who joined us for this memorable Bonalu Photowalk. Your respect for the traditions, your patience while photographing, and your willingness to help one another made this meetup a beautiful celebration of both photography and culture.
