Several lakhs to offer sacred 'Attukal Pongala' today

Sunday 25 February, 2024 | 12:43 AM READ MALAYALAM VERSION

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Several lakhs of women are waiting on the roadsides and in front of homes in the state capital to offer Pongala to Attukalamma. That auspicious moment is 10.30 am today.

Ananthapuri will turn into a massive yaga venue when fire is transferred from 'pandara' hearth to lakhs of hearths prepared by the women. Vellapongal, Kadumpayasam, Therali, Mandaputtu are among the popular dishes prepared by the devotees. Local residents and voluntary organizations will compete to provide drinking water and food to lakhs of devotees. Police, fire force, health department and municipal corporation are all ready to make everything auspicious.

Everyone comes with a body and mind that has been cleansed by fasting till the first day of the annual festival. The foreigners who came in private vehicles, buses and trains took over the main roads and alleys yesterday evening. Devotees have come from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana states and even outside India.

Tantri Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad will light a lamp from sanctum sanctorum and give it to Melsanthi Goshala Vishnuvasudevan Namboothiri. At 10.30 a.m., the lamp will be handed over to junior priest after lighting it in the Pongala fireplace at small kitchen inside the temple. Later, the fire will be lit in the largr kitchen and the 'pandara aduppu' in front of the temple.Then the fire will be lit in earthen stoves around the city and temple premises. Pongala will be complete after the 'ucha puja' at 2.30 p.m. The air force helicopter will shower flowers from the sky during the ceremony.

At 7.30 pm, Kuthiyottam ceremony will be held and at 11 pm, the procession of the goddess to Manacaud Shastha Temple will begin. The deity's idol will be carried by the famous tusker Thrikadavur Sivarajan. The boys offering Kuthiyottam will accompany the procession. The procession will be accompanied by armed police and musical ensembles.