Devotees offer prayers during the annual Attukal Pongala festival in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA
For many, it was a stirring moment as smoke began curling upward from countless makeshift brick ovens shortly after half-past 10 on Tuesday, giving thousands of women a chance to make the ritual Pongala offering to the Attukal Bhagavathy the way they used to in the pre-COVID-19 days.
Women turned out in large numbers in the State capital, the first time the annual festival was held full scale since the pandemic outbreak. As such, the 2023 edition held a special, fulfilling sweetness for devotees as the pandemic had prevented all-out celebrations in the past two years.
The cooking of the Pongala offering, the customary pudding of rice, jaggery, grated coconut, ghee and banana prepared in earthen pots, began once the ‘pandara aduppu,’ the main hearth at the temple, was lit.
Tantri Thekkedath Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad passed the flame from the sanctum sanctorum to the chief priest P. Kesavan Namboothiri for lighting the Pongala hearths at the ‘Thidapally’ of the temple and the ‘Valiya Thidapally.’ Thereafter, the flame was handed over to the assistant priest who lighted the ‘Pandara Aduppu.’
Although this year’s Pongala was a keenly awaited event, many regulars were unable to make it due to the busy exam schedules of their children. Still, the religious event drew thousands from all over Kerala and other states, and even the usual smattering of foreigners.
The 2021 and 2022 editions were muted affairs, with devotees advised to make the offering from the relative safety of their houses, as the pandemic had forced heavy curtailment of public events of any size.
Known for its record assemblage of women devotees, the Attukal Pongala falls on the ninth day of the annual ten-day festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple. This year the festivities commenced on February 27.
Devotees offer prayers during the annual Attukal Pongala festival in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
S. MAHINSHA
No mishap was reported on Tuesday, but the blazing summer sun forced a few devotees to complain of uneasiness. Nineteen women were administered first aid in different locations, including the temple premises. Two devotees suffered minor injuries and six vehicles were damaged after part of a wall collapsed near LMS junction.
By 2.30 p.m., this year’s Pongala came to an end with the ritualistic sanctification of the hearths. The focus then shifted to ensuring the smooth transit of the devotees and a city-wide clean-up.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operated special services, KSRTC CMD Biju Prabhakar said. The Indian Railways operated two additional trains.
The Kuthiyottam ritual, attended by over 700 boys, and the ‘Purathezhunnellippu’ to the Sastha temple at Manacaud were scheduled for late Tuesday evening. The 10-day festivities at the temple will conclude with the ‘Kappazhippu’ ceremony at 9.15 p.m. on Wednesday and the ‘Kuruthitharpanam’ at 1 a.m. on Thursday.
