Thiruvananthapuram: The mass gathering of devotees and their burning brick hearths that line the city roads on the occasion of the 'Attukal Pongala' were missing on Thursday. Amid COVID restrictions, thousands of women, cutting across age barriers offered 'Pongala' to the presiding deity of the Attukal Bhagavathy temple, from the safety of their homes.
Considered as one of the largest religious congregations of women in the world, the annual Pongala festival has been a muted affair for the past two years in the wake of the COVID pandemic. As the authorities issued strict instructions against the mass gathering of people in public places in view of the recent surge in infections, the celebrations were restricted to homes this year as well.
Preparing 'Pongala' is considered an auspicious all-women ritual as part of the annual festival of the Attukal temple here, popularly known as the "Women's Sabarimala." Barring some 'pandals', displaying huge garlanded images of the Goddess, where devotional songs were played aloud, there was no major sign of the conduct of the famed 'Pongala' ritual in the state capital this time.
Also read: Lakhs of devotees take part in 'Pongala' festival amid coronavirus scare
As a local holiday was declared on account of the festival, several parts of the city, which used to be teeming with women on the Pongala day every year, wore a deserted look this morning. Though the government allowed a maximum of 1,500 people to perform the ritual on the temple grounds this year, the Attukal Temple Trust made it clear that they could not implement it and urged devotees to conduct the ritual at their homes.
The festivities began at 10:50 am after the chief priest lit the 'Pandara aduppu,' the main hearth at the Attukal temple. Following this, women devotees lit their makeshift brick stoves, set up in the front yard of their houses, and prepared the offering with prayers. A mix of rice, jaggery and scrapped coconut, the 'Pongala' is prepared in fresh earthen or metal pots. Many women also prepared offerings of 'payasam', 'therali' and 'mandaputtu' (sweet delicacies) and plain white rice.
Unlike the usual practice, the temple authorities said no priest would visit houses to sanctify the 'Pongala' and the devotees could do it themselves in the scheduled time in the afternoon.
Also read: Thousands take part in all-women Attukal Pongala festival
The pongala festival marks the finale of the 10-day ritual at the shrine. The ritual had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day when 2.5 million took part in it.
As per local legend, the annual festival commemorates the hospitality accorded by women in the locality to Kannagi, the divine incarnation of the heroine of the Tamil epic 'Silappadhikaram' while she was on her way to avenge the injustice meted out to her husband Kovaalan, after destroying Madurai city.
Attukal Temple is called the "Women's Sabarimala" as only women perform rituals, while it is predominantly men who undertake the pilgrimage to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.
