THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Women devotees offered pongala to Attukal Devi. The favourite dishes of devi like white rice, kadum payasayam, therali, mandayappam, etc were offered. The holy water was sprinkled on the pongala at 2.30 pm.

Devotees return with self-satisfaction. The glow of pongala was dimmed a little in the past two years due to Covid, but this time lakhs of women turned up.

Women who came in private vehicles, buses and trains had taken over the main roads and lanes last evening. Foreigners and devotees from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana states had come to offer pongala.

Tantri Thekkedath Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiri handed over the flame from the sanctum sanctorum to chief priest P Kesavan Namboothiri to light the Pongala hearths at the Valiya Thidapally at 10.30 am after pantheeradi puja and deeparadhana. The flame was later passed on to the assistant priest to light the pandara aduppu.