On Attukal Pongala, Thiruvananthapuram transforms into a divine hearth
The Hindu
Tens and thousand of women were excited at being able to return to offer Pongala after a COVID-induced gap of two years
The Attukal Pongala, the annual ten-day festival at Thiruvananthapuram’s Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, celebrates the victory of good over evil. During the festival, which is being held this year in its original format for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, worshippers make the yearly Pongala offering to the presiding goddess of the temple, where tens of thousands of women converge.
In this year’s Pongala, which began on February 27, 2023, many regulars were unable to make it due to the busy exam schedules of their children. Still, the religious event drew thousands from all over Kerala and other States, as well as the usual smattering of foreigners.
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