Thousands of devotees are expected to converge in Kollam city to attend the annual Pongala festival of the Sree Puthiyakavu Bhagawathy temple on March 10.
“This year the festival programmes are sponsored by the officials of the Kollam East police, Railway Police, Railway Protection Force, Food Corporation of India, and auto-taxi employees. The 12-day festival will conclude with the Pongala ritual and elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth conduct of the ritual,” said the temple authorities in a press meet on Wednesday.
At 10 a.m. on Friday, the nilavilakku in front of the sanctum sanctorum will be lit and the fire will be passed to the ‘pandara aduppu’ marking the official commencement of the Pongala ritual. Later, the fire will be transferred from the temple hearth to other hearths on the premises and the devotees will begin preparing Pongala for the temple’s presiding deity.
Kollam city will be divided into 50 blocks and 300 male and 200 female volunteers will be deployed to help the devotees. Free services from the police, Fire and Rescue Services, Kerala Water Authority, and Health department will be offered during the festival.
“Water will be made available in all blocks and Pongala kits can be bought from the temple counter. The festival will follow the green protocol and considering the hot climate, devotees will be asked to maintain a distance between the hearths,” they said.
The sanctification ceremony will be carried out by noon and priests deployed for the same will splash holy water on pongala offerings prepared by the devotees.
The ‘shaktikumbham ezhunallappu’ ritual, which will commence at 5 p.m. from the Kochupilamoodu Muneeshwara Swamy temple, will reach back to the Puthiyakavu temple around midnight. The 12-day festival will conclude with the guruthi offering at 1 a.m. and the temple will reopen on Monday morning.
