THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All preparations for the Attukal Pongala festival are complete. The festival will begin with the 'Kappukettu' ritual of the goddess at 10 am tomorrow. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will arrive at the temple at 5 pm today to review all the preparations. The Chief Minister will participate in a review meeting attended by public representatives, heads of various departments, and trust office bearers.

A special queue has been set up to avoid the rush of devotees visiting the temple. The temporary control room of the police will be ready this evening.

The Attukal Pongala is on the 13th. The Thottampattu will begin after the Kappukettu ceremony tomorrow morning. Film star Namita Pramod will inaugurate the cultural programs at 6 pm. The Attukal Amba Award will be presented to Dr. K. Omanakutty.

Kuthiyottam will begin at 9.15 am on the 7th. On the 13th, the Pongala 'aduppuvettu' ritual will be held at 10.15 am. Pongala Nivedyam will be held at 1.15 pm. The 'Chooralkuthu' for 'Kuthiyottam' will be held at 7.45 pm. The 'Purathezhunnallippu' procession will be held at the Manakkad Sastha kshetram at 11.15 pm. 'Akathezhunallippu' will be held at 8 am on the 14th. 'Kappazhikkal' will be held at 10 pm. The festival will conclude with 'Kuruthitharppanam' at 1 pm.

Artistic programs at various venues

On the 5th, a mega show will be presented by Surya Film Society at 10 pm. On the 6th, a music program will be led by film star Jayaraj Warrier and playback singer Kallara Gopan at 8 pm. On the 7th, a musical evening will be led by ADGP Sreejith and his team at 6.30 pm. On the 10th, a music program will be led by music director Mano. On the 9th at 6 pm, a Pancharimelam will be led by film star Jayaram in front of the temple with 101 artists. On the 10th at 10 pm, a folk song will be led by playback singer Athul Narukara at Amba Auditorium. On the 11th at 10 pm, a mega show will be staged under the leadership of film stars Padmapriya, Miya, Priyanka Nair, and others.

Various cultural programs will be held at Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika venues. Bhajans, Purana parayanam, classical dance, Bharatanatyam, etc., will be performed from 5 am to night. On the festival days, there will be 'prasadam ootu' from 10.30 am at Amba and Karthika auditoriums.