Flames of devotion burn bright at Attukal Pongala

It is a day countless women wait for an entire year. A day when red brick makeshift hearths lined the city streets and turned the State capital into a giant kitchen where the choicest offerings were cooked for the Attukal ‘Amma,’ the presiding deity of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. A day when faith saw even the most frail brave heat, smoke, and hunger to express their devotion and gratitude to the goddess at what is popularly termed the ‘women’s Sabarimala.’

On Tuesday, the penultimate day of the 10-day Attukal Pongala festival, the feverish excitement that had gripped the city for days reached a crescendo with thousands of women offering ‘pongala’ (a rich pudding of rice, jaggery, banana or coconut, mostly cooked in ghee, and a garnish of cashewnuts and maybe cardamom or raisins) to the Attukal Bhagavathy Devi. Other popular offerings included therali appam (steamed rice cakes) and manda puttu (steamed balls of rice powder, green gram, jaggery, and coconut).

Temple tantri Thekkedath Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad signalled the start of the festivities by lighting the Pongala hearth inside the temple. He then passed the flame to the chief priest Aneesh Namboodiri for lighting the Pongala hearths at the ‘Thidapally’ of the temple and then handed over to an assistant priest for lighting the ‘Pandara Aduppu.’An announcement and chendamelam signalled to the women devotees that their hearths were ready to be lit with the flame from the Pandara Aduppu.

Soon, earthen pots, often bedecked with paint, sandalwood paste, and flowers, were bubbling away as the devotees offered up fervent prayers to the Attukal Devi.

Once the offerings were ready, the women headed to the temple to pray. Some had tried to offer prayers in the morning but were unable to get through owing to the large crowds.

Devotees offer Pongala by preparing the Pongala offering using rice and jaggery at a public space in East Fort as part of the Attukal Pongala festival, in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Many of these women, at times entire family in tow, had reached the city well ahead of the Pongala day, some even three or four days prior, in a bid to offer the Pongala in close proximity to the Attukal temple. Kitchens and courtyards were thrown open to them in a warm gesture of hospitality.

Some women had been offering Pongala without major breaks for decades. Often, they were accompanied by the younger generation, mostly grandchildren, who too were picking up the basics of the tradition and rituals of Pongala, believed to be the world’s largest women-only religious festival.

At the same time, the trend of women offering pongala at their doorstep, away from the crowds and heat of Attukal and nearby areas, continued. As a result, the queues of the brick hearths extended well beyond the heart of the city.

People from all walks of life, such as political leaders, administrators, and celebrities such as actors offered Pongala.

Devotees offer Pongala by preparing the Pongala offering using rice and jaggery at Palayam as part of the Attukal Pongala festival, in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Kerala story: Arlekar

Governor Rajendra Arlekar who was assisting his wife Anagha Arlekar in offering Pongala said since he had missed the festival last time, he made it a point to be in the city this time to experience it. He was happy to see all the devotees preparing the ‘prasadam’ for all. The festival in which people irrespective of caste or religion came together was an example for the country. “The festival gives us the message that we all are one. This is the Kerala story.”

All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi was another high profile name to offer Pongala to the Attukal Bhagavathy. Ms. Dasmunshi said the festival drew people not only from different parts of the country, but also other countries. Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, her prayers were for the future of Kerala and its next generation. A new era should come, Ms. Dasmunshi who made payasam as an offering said.

At 2.25 p.m., it was time for nivedyam, with nearly 350 priests fanning out across the city to sanctify the offerings of the devotees. An aircraft was also deployed to shower flowers on the devotees.

Many devotees reported a larger crowd for offering Pongala than that last year. Some complained that the spaces they had marked for offering Pongala had been taken up by others, and a few about lack of drinking water.

Additional bus and train services were arranged by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and Southern Railway to ensure the devotees reaches home without hardship after the Pongala. To wait for another year before they experienced the Attukal Devi’s pull and reached the city for yet another Pongala.

Published – March 03, 2026 09:07 pm IST