Devotion lights the streets as Attukal Pongala draws thousands

On the penultimate day of the 10-day Attukal Pongala festival, thousands of women gathered in Thiruvananthapuram, turning the city into a giant kitchen as they prepared Pongala — a rich pudding of rice and jaggery with banana or coconut — to honor Attukal Amma, the presiding goddess of the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. Red brick hearths lined the city streets and earthen pots bubbled as fragrant steam filled the air, with devotees offering Pongala along with therali appam and manda puttu to show their devotion.\n\nThe ritual began inside the temple, when temple tantri Thekkedath Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad lit the Pongala hearth and passed the flame to the chief priest Aneesh Namboodiri, who then handed it to an assistant to light the Pandara Aduppu. An announcement and the rhythm of chendamelam signalled that the hearths were ready and the flame from the Pandara Aduppu could ignite each pot, marking the moment the offerings began in earnest.\n\nAs people worked their clay-and-sludge kitchens, some devotees faced delays in praying due to the sheer crowds that filled the temple precincts and adjacent streets. Yet the energy remained vibrant, with the city absorbing the heat, scent, and bustle of a festival many describe as a living tradition.\n\nMunicipal crews were visible in force too: about 3,000 sanitation workers removed waste after Pongala, and separate squads retrieved bricks to be reused in housing projects across the city, underscoring how the celebration intertwines faith with civic planning.\n\nThe festival’s doors are also notably open beyond the temple walls, with churches, mosques, and residents opening their homes to devotees. This spirit of hospitality reinforces Attukal Pongala’s standing as the world’s largest women’s religious gathering, drawing participants and onlookers from across the region.\n\nFor many, the day is a test of heat, smoke and hunger, but more than that, it remains a powerful expression of faith, gratitude, and community as thousands come together in a shared ritual of devotion.

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