- Attukal Pongala 2026 is celebrated today at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Kerala
- The festival honors Goddess Attukal Bhagavathy, symbolizing feminine power and devotion
- Over 2.5 million women participate, making it the largest religious gathering of women
Attukal Pongala 2026: Attukal Pongala is being celebrated today, March 3, at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This revered Hindu festival, also known as Pongala Mahotsavam, is marked by one of the largest gatherings of women globally. In 2009, the ritual made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day. Over 2.5 million women took part in it.
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History And Significance
The festival honours Goddess Attukal Bhagavathy, an incarnation of Goddess Kannaki, symbolising feminine power and devotion. The main ritual involves women preparing a sweet 'pongala', which is an auspicious all-women ritual. It is made of rice, jaggery and coconut in earthen pots. The pongala is cooked on makeshift hearths set up around the temple premises, transforming the streets into a sacred kitchen.
The pongala festival marks the finale of the 10-day ritual at the shrine, and the ceremony concludes with the sprinkling of holy water by temple priests in the afternoon. The festival begins with the Kappukettu ritual, when the chief priest lights the central hearth, and the sacred fire is distributed to devotees. Women then prepare the pongala, chanting mantras and praying to the goddess. The offering is blessed by temple priests, making it a sacred prasadam.
"Many things define the state of Keralam"
"There are many things that define our great state of Keralam," Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday said the Attukal Pongala festival is a defining symbol of Kerala's rich cultural and spiritual heritage told ANI.
"There are many things very core to the culture and heritage of Thiruvananthapuram, and Attukal Pongala - this celebration of faith, celebration of Attukal Bhagwati by women in such large numbers - is a huge event that makes me proud personally and makes every Malayali proud."
Thiruvananthapuram is witnessing unprecedented crowds, with elaborate arrangements made for devotees, including medical aid, security, and sanitation. The festival has also prompted railway and traffic adjustments.
