THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The chief priest of the Attukal Bhagavathy temple has lit the pongala hearth. Tens of thousands of women have congregated for the annual offering to Attukal Bhagavathy. The pongala, where women make an offering to the deity which is chiefly made up of rice, jaggery, coconut gratings and ghee, is celebrated on the ninth day of the annual festival at the temple.

In the morning, thousands of women were at the temple to offer prayers to the deity before the pongala. The ritual will conclude with the sprinkling of holy water on the hearths by 2.15 pm.

The government departments and the State Disaster Management Authority have made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival. The police has deployed 3700 personnel as part of beefing up security. The city police has also put the festival zone under surveillance using CCTV cameras and drones. The pongala ritual will be followed by the chooralkuthu ceremony at 7.30 pm and the ceremonial procession at 11.15 pm. The festival will conclude with the rituals kappu azhich kudiyilakkal and kuruthi tarpanam.