The Kerala government decided to conduct the famous Attukal Pongala, one of the world’s largest all women religious congregations, in the city on February 27. The ritual will be conducted by strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocol and allowing devotees to perform the ritual only inside the temple compound. Devotees would be allowed entry only after they register online.
A decision on the maximum number of people who would be allowed to offer the ritual would be taken later. Preparing pongala (sweet) is considered an auspicious ritual of the annual festival of the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. This year, nobody would be allowed to offer pongala in public places or on roads, but people can make the offering from their homes.
On this day, women from all over Kerala and outside the state converge in grounds and both sides of the highways, roads and bylanes across the city and prepare ‘pongala’, a mix of rice, jaggery and scraped coconut in fresh earthen or metal pots to appease the Goddess. The offering is made in makeshift brick stoves, placed on both sides of the roads.
