ÿþ<html><head><link href="../../Styles/global.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="../../Images/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon"><meta name="Keywords" content="The vibrant festivities of Bonalu are unique to the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh...Bonallu, Telangana, Hyderabad, festival" /><title>Kottokka Devathallu</title></head><body style="background-color:#993300" topMargin=0 ><div align="Center"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" width="100%" style="background-color:#ffffff"><tr><td style="background-color:#993300;font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana;" align="center"> <a href="http://www.tasveergharindia.net" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;">Tasveer Ghar: A Digital Archive of South Asian Popular Visual Culture</a></td></tr><tr><td align="center" ><p><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size: 26px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em><strong>Kottokka Devathallu</strong></em></span></span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td align="center" > <p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>One Crore and One Goddesses</strong></span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td> <table width="850" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <table width="100%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The shrines of the mother goddess do not just serve religious needs of the population. They have also served as rallying points for political activity. In recent years, political parties have lent various kinds of support for the construction and development of such shrines. Many a time shrine committees are headed by senior politicians. Due to the significance and popularity of these shrines among the general poulace, political parties often vie with each other in their efforts to further the development of some of these shrines. (See <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=10">Figs. 10</a>, <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=11">11</a>). Some of these shrines have also survived road widening and other developmental activities, because of the interest and efforts of devotees and businessmen in taking up the cause of protecting the shrines. (See <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=12">Figs. 12</a>, <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=13">13</a>).</span></span></td> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=10><img width="250" height="188" alt="" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/FIG-10.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=10> Fig.10</a></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 568px; height: 196px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=11><img width="250" height="188" alt="" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-11.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=11> Fig.11</a></td></tr></table></td> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=12><img width="250" height="188" alt="" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-12.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=12> Fig.12</a></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=13><img width="250" height="188" alt="" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-13.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=13> Fig.13</a></td></tr></table></td> <td width="560"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some shrines have graduated from serving the local populations into major centers of pilgrimage. The Sri Jagdamba Mahankali temple atop the Golconda, Akkanna Madanna Mahankali Temple in Hari Bowli area of the old city, Yellamma Temple in Balkampet, and the Mahankali Ujjaini Temple in Secunderabad have emerged as important pilgrimage centers for the worship of mother goddesses. As they get bigger many of these shrines begin to resemble orthodox Hindu temples in size and appearance, and every now and then, they even house mainstream Hindu gods.</span></span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 836px; height: 264px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The more affluent temples are taken over by the Andhra Pradesh State&rsquo;s Endowments Department. This has resulted in the employment of the Brahmans as priests. In those shrines not under the control of the State, priests are drawn from backward castes and Dalits. Some of these larger temples are patronized by all sections of Hindu society, and to possibly cater to the needs of the global Hyderabaadi, some have even designed websites for outreach and donations. With the strengthening of the movement for Telangana statehood, it has become a matter of strategic gains for filmstars and politicians to visit these shrines. Very often, the graduation of local shrine to that of a pilgrim centre is aided by a politician on his road to success or afterwards. The shrines, the goddesses they house, and their myths lie outside the mainstream Hindu texts, catering largely to the marginalized or the subaltern populations, including migrants into the city. This makes them important to local politics and politicians. For instance, one of the most powerful leaders of the Congress (I), P. Janardhan Reddy (1946-2007), hailed as the messiah of the backward castes and Dalits in the city, is credited with the development of the Jubilee Hills Pedamma Gudi (<a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=14">Figs. 14</a>, <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=15">15</a>, <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=16">16</a>, <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=17">17</a>).</span></span></td> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=14><img alt="" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-14.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=14> Fig.14</a></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" border="0" align="center" style="width: 614px; height: 226px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=15><img width="164" height="220" border="0" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-15.jpg" alt="" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=15> Fig.15</a></td></tr></table></p> </td> <td> <p><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=16><img alt="" style="width: 164px; height: 219px;" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-16.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=16> Fig.16</a></td></tr></table></p> </td> <td> <p><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=17><img style="width: 208px; height: 156px;" alt="" src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-17.jpg" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=17> Fig.17</a></td></tr></table></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Those shrines that have gained large numbers of devotees and wealth often build a welcome arch called <em>kamaan</em> at their entrance. These arches are adorned with images of Pothuraju and anonymous women. Pothuraju, believed to be the brother of the mother goddess, has a mandatory presence at shrines dedicated to mother goddesses. Indeed, if it were not for the presence of the image of Pothuraju, shrines like the Jubilee Hills Pedamma could be mistaken for an orthodox Hindu temple (<a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=18">Figs. 18</a> and <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=19">19</a>).</span></span></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 446px; height: 267px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=18><img src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-18.jpg" style="width: 198px; height: 263px;" alt="" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=18> Fig.18</a></td></tr></table></td> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=19><img src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-19.jpg" style="width: 197px; height: 261px;" alt="" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=19> Fig.19</a></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table width="100%" height="179" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" style=""> <tbody> <tr> <td><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The spectacular scenes, colours, and images on the walls of the shrines make them stand out in the city. The shrines are replete with pictures such as those of the mother goddess slaying demons, riding animals, seated on a flower, or blessing the devotees. Though there is a structural similarity between all the myths, the images often differ. For instance, the goddess Mahankali rides a tiger in one of the images, while in another, she is astride a lion. Such differences are attributed to the imagination of the caretaker of the shrine, who often doubles up as the storyteller, narrating the myth to the devotees (<a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=20">Figs. 20</a>-<a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=21">21</a>.&nbsp; See also <a href="/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&amp;EId=83&amp;ImageId=6">Fig. 6</a>).</span></span></td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=20><img src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-20.jpg" style="width: 170px; height: 226px;" alt="" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=20> Fig.20</a></td></tr></table></td> <td><table valign="middle"><tr><td> <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=21><img src="/cmsdesk/userfiles/image/uploaded/Suboor%20Bakht/Joe%20Aug09/Fig-21.jpg" style="width: 239px; height: 179px;" alt="" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="Center" > <a class="navigation-a" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=21> Fig.21</a></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td></tr></table><table style="width:850px"><tr><td></td><td align="right"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff;">Select Page</span><select id="cmbPages" class="text-box" onchange="javascript:openPage();"> <option value="1">1</option><option value="2">2</option><option value="3">3</option><option value="4">4</option><option value="5">5</option></select> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">function openPage(){ var i = document.getElementById('cmbPages').value; var path =window.location.pathname.substring(0,window.location.pathname.lastIndexOf('/')); if(i== 1) window.location.href = path + "/index.html"; else window.location.href = path + "/index_" + (i-1) +".html"; } var path =window.location.pathname.substring(window.location.pathname.lastIndexOf('/')+1); if (path.indexOf('_') == -1) document.getElementById('cmbPages').value=1; else {path = path.substring(path.lastIndexOf('_')+1); document.getElementById('cmbPages').value=parseInt(path)+1;} </script><a class="navigation-a" href="index.html" style="color:#ffffff;">Previous</a> <a class="navigation-a" href="index_2.html" style="color:#ffffff;">Next</a></td></tr></table><table style="width:100%;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a class="gallery-a" style="color:#ffffff;" href=http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/viewgallery.aspx?id=75&EId=83&ImageId=1>Visit The Gallery</a> </td></tr><tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="http://www.tasveergharindia.net" class="footer-a" style="color:#ffffff;"> Tasveer Ghar Home </a>-<a href="http://www.tasveergharindia.net/frmessaylisting.aspx" class="footer-a" style="color:#ffffff;"> Gallery </a>-<a href="http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/pages/copyright.html" class="footer-a" style="color:#ffffff;"> Disclaimer on images </a>-<a href="http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/pages/Contact_Us.html" class="footer-a" style="color:#ffffff;"> Contact us </a>-<a href="http://tasveergharindia.net/Unsubscriber.aspx" class="footer-a" style="color:#ffffff;"> UnSubscriber </a></td></tr></table></div><script type="text/javascript">try {var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-8020078-1");pageTracker._trackPageview();} catch(err) {}</script> </body></html>