Thiruvananthapuram: The famous Attukal Pongala ceremony began on Saturday at around 11 am. The main hearth ‘Pandara Aduppu’ was lighted marking the beginning of the ceremony. Following this, the devotees also lighted the hearths arranged in their households.

The Pongala offering at the temple has been limited to the ‘Pandara Aduppu,’ the main hearth, this time due to the COVID restrictions. This year, nobody is allowed to offer 'Pongala' on temple compound, public places or on roads. So, they are performing the ritual at their homes.

Thiruvananthapuram corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran, collector Navjot Khosa, MP Shashi Tharoor, MLAs V K Prasanth, O Rajagopal, V S Sivakumar and others also were present during the ceremony. Devotees will be allowed to enter the temple as per the COVID protocol.

Preparing 'pongala' is considered an auspicious ritual of the annual festival of the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. Earlier, a group of devotees were unhappy over arranging the hearths and preparing the offering outside the temple. Those people can perform the ritual peacefully this time.

The devotees are directed not to form crowd outside the temple for having darshan. Also they should avoid bringing children aged below 10 years. The devotees are instructed to wear mask, sanitize hands and maintain social distancing while visiting the temple.