Attukal Pongala 2026: Sea of women devotees braves heat for sacred offering

Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of women devotees from across Kerala and other parts of the country gathered in the state capital on Tuesday to offer ‘pongala’ at the famed Attukal Pongala festival, transforming the city into a sprawling yagyashala despite soaring temperatures.

Devotees of all ages, many wearing white shawls or caps to shield themselves from the sun, had assembled along roads stretching several kilometres in the heart of the city since late Monday night. Makeshift brick stoves were set up in neatly arranged rows, ready for the ritual that marks the grand finale of the 10-day annual festival at the shrine.

The ceremony commenced around 9.45 am when the chief priest lit the ceremonial main stove, known as the ‘Pandara Aduppu’, within the temple premises. The symbolic act signalled the start of the mass ritual. As temple drums and devotional music reverberated through the air, women across designated areas lit their stoves simultaneously and began preparing the sacred offering.

The ‘pongala’ is traditionally cooked using rice, jaggery and grated coconut in fresh earthen or metal pots. The ritual is considered highly auspicious and is performed exclusively by women as an offering to the presiding deity of the temple.

Often referred to as the “Women’s Sabarimala,” the Attukal Pongala draws one of the largest congregations of women devotees in the world. The ceremony concludes in the afternoon with temple priests sprinkling holy water on the prepared offerings, formally sanctifying them.

Authorities made extensive arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival. Facilities for drinking water, food distribution and medical assistance were set up across the city. The police, fire and rescue services, and Railways coordinated crowd management measures, including traffic diversions and parking restrictions, to prevent inconvenience to residents and ensure safety.

The festival begins with the ‘Kappukettu’ ceremony, during which authorised families recite ‘Kannaki Charitam’, invoking the presence of Kodungallur Bhagavathy and narrating the slaying of the Pandiyan king. The nine-day recitation builds up to the Pongala day, culminating in the symbolic lighting of thousands of stoves — a moment that represents the triumph of good over evil.

In 2009, the festival entered the Guinness World Records for the largest religious gathering of women in a single day, with an estimated 2.5 million participants.

According to local legend, the festival commemorates the hospitality extended by women in the region to Kannagi, the heroine of the Tamil epic Silappadhikaram, after she destroyed the city of Madurai to avenge the unjust execution of her husband Kovalan.