Kerala women celebrate Attukal Pongala

Over 350 women participated in the celebrations, by cooking the traditional Pongala in an earthen pot till it boiled over. The Pongala consists of rice, lentils, jaggery, coconut gratings, nuts, raisins and ghee. The ceremony began at an auspicious time of 10.30 am, when the chief priest of the Ayyappa Temple lit the traditional flame which was then passed on to the womenfolk for placing in the firewood to start cooking of Pongala. At the end of the ceremony, the Pongala was taken home as a prasadam.

"We wanted to bring a bit of Kerala in the city and the Pongala was one event which marks the prominence of women," said Major (Retd) MNK Menon, Chairman, Sree Ayyappa Devasthanam, Bolarum. "We are happy that a huge gathering of women along with their families came forward to take part in this event,” he added.

Attukal Pongala is a renowned festival. The Pongala Mahotsavam at Attukal Devi Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, has entered into the Guinness Book of world records as the largest congregation of women in the world. Goddess Kannaki (Parvathi) is the main deity in the Attukal temple.