Thousands expected to attend Puthiyakavu Pongala on Friday

Thousands of devotees are expected to attend the Pongala Maholasavam of the Sree Puthiyakavu Bhagawathy temple, known as the Attukal of Kollam, on Friday. The auspicious rituals will commence when temple chief priest and former Sabarimala melsanthi N Balamurali transfers the sacred flame from the sanctum sanctorum to the main lamp. Following this, the ceremonial hearth (bhandara aduppu) will be lit, signalling thousands of devotees stationed across various parts of Kollam city to light their own hearths as an offering to the goddess.

The temple authorities expect a turnout of close to 50,000 devotees this year. According to the schedule, the temple’s pongala and the manjaneeraattu ritual will be completed by 11.30 am, followed by the sanctification ceremony (theertham thali) at 12 pm. To ensure a smooth experience for devotees, the city has been divided into 50 blocks, each managed by a dedicated team of ten male and five female volunteers. The Health Department, Water Authority, city corporation, Kerala Police, RPF, and Fire & Rescue services and private hospitals will extend their support for the smooth conduct of the ritual.

The festivities will continue into the evening with the Shaktikumbham Ezhunnallathu procession starting at 5 pm. The procession is expected to return to the temple by 1 am concluding with the kuruthi tharpanam ritual, after which the temple doors will be closed. The temple will remain closed during the weekend, and will reopen at 5 am on Monday. The annual thiru arattu festival is slated to begin on March 23. The festival will be officially inaugurated with the hoisting of the holy flag between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm, led by prominent priests from Aluva Thanthra Vidyapeetham. The week-long celebrations will include the utsava bali on March 25 and the pallivetta on March 29, finally culminating in the grand thiru arattu procession on March 30.