This year Attukal Pongala will be celebrated on 25th March 2024. The major highlight of the Attukal Pongala festival is the ritual of preparing the sweet offering known as ‘Pongala’.
Attukal Pongala 2024 Date
The Attukal Pongala is a highly popular festival especially in south Kerala. This is one of the biggest gatherings of women for a religious event within the world.
Attukal Pongala is a ten day annual Malayalam event which is celebrated at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
The festival is marked in the form of the largest yearly gathering of women through the Guinness World Record. In this event around 1.5 million women participated.
Attukal Pongala Timings
The timing which is announced by the temple authorities for this festival are –
- Pooram Nakshathram Starts – 10:20 pm on 24th February 2024
- Ending of Pooram Nakshatram – 1:24 am on 26th February 2024
- Attukal Pongala Celebrations
- On the 9th day of the 10th day event hundreds of women devotees, locally called as “Pongala Ammas’.
They gather around the premises of temple and cook rice, coconut, jaggery, and other ingredients in earthen pots in form of offering to the presiding deity, Attukal Amma (Goddess Bhagwati).
The Pongala is prepared using totally fresh ingredients and cooked over open fires.
The preparation of Pongala begins with particular rituals which are known as ‘Aduppuvettu’ and this is the lighting of Pongala hearth which is known as Pandarayaduppa placed inside the temple with the chief priest.
The whole procedure of Pongala cooking is considered very auspicious and it is believed that God blesses the offerings which are later provided in the form of Prasad to the devotees.
Attukal Pongala Significance
Regarding this festival various significance are there which are provided below –
- The offering of Pongala is a highly special temple practice within the southern part of Kerala.
- The 10 day lengthy celebration commences in the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (Feb-March) on Karthika star.
- The ceremony of Pongal is on an occasional day of the Pooram star which is celebrated with a full moon.
- The event commences with musical rendering of the story of goddess (Kannaki Charitam) during the ceremony of Kappukettu.
- The rendering of music is conducted through the families authorized to this purpose.
- The song which is played in the temple will continue for around nine days preceding pongala.
- The festival of goddess annihilating the Pandayan King is accomplished by much sound and fury of temple drums and “Vaykurava” with devotees, immediately follows through the lighting of the preparation of offering to the gods.
- The festival commemorates the victory of God over Evil with the slaying of Pandyan King.
- Throughout the event an environment of celebration and festivity prevails and there are solemn observances like conduct of Bhajans on a regular basis, musical concerts, ballets which depict folk and temple arts etc. within premises of temple.
- It is symbolic of philosophy that divine and human affairs are inter – woven very minutely in all its disquisitions.
Attukal Pongala Rituals
The ritual of kappukettu or adorning the idol with gold bangles is at 8 am on 17th Feb. This marked the starting of grand festivals.
On every days except 23rd February, the day starts with Abhishekam at around 5:30 am follows by Deeparadhana at 6:05 am, Usha puja at 6:40 am, Usha Sreebali at 6:50am, Kalakabishekam at 7:15 am, Pantheeradi pooja at 8:30 am and Ucha puja at 11:30 am.
In the afternoon Deeparadhana is at noon and the Ucha Sreebali is at 12:30pm. Meanwhile, rituals within the evening start with Deeparadhana at 6:45 pm followed by Bhagvathy Seva at 7:15 pm. The Athazha pooja is around 9 pm. While Deeparadhana is at 9.15 pm and Athazha Sreebali at 9:30 pm.
In summary, the festival of Attukal Pongala is highly valuable and important for the citizens of the south and they have high beliefs in god. The specialty of Kerala is that the state is known as the gods of the country.
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