The three-day harvest festival of Sankranti began across the Telugu states on Wednesday with the celebration of Bhogi, marked by traditional bonfires lit in villages, towns, and cities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The festival is observed as Bhogi, Makara Sankranti, and Kanuma, symbolising renewal, prosperity, and agrarian abundance.

In Telangana, bonfires lit at dawn marked the discarding of the old and the welcoming of the new. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and other leaders extended festive greetings. The Governor described Bhogi and Sankranti as timeless celebrations reflecting the state’s agrarian soul, while the Chief Minister expressed hope that the festivals would bring prosperity and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to welfare and development under the Telangana Rising 2047 vision.

In Andhra Pradesh, Bhogi was celebrated with religious devotion and traditional fervour. At Tirumala, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams organised customary Bhogi bonfires, drawing large numbers of devotees. Villages across districts witnessed community celebrations, as families gathered to uphold age-old traditions. Leaders including Governor S Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy conveyed greetings, wishing happiness, good health, and prosperity to all households.