Thiruvananthapuram: The Atukal Pongala festival will begin today. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is going to drown in a festive mood for the next 10 days. The 10-day-long Pongala Mahotsavam will begin with the ‘Kappukettu’ ceremony honoring the Goddess. The world famous Attukal Pongala is on the 25th of this month. Devotees from different parts of the state and outside will reach the holy place of Attukal to seek Attukal Amma’s blessings and offer Pongala to the revered Goddess.
The festivities in the temple began today with ‘Usha Sribali’ pujas performed in the early morning. Following that, Kapukettu ceremony started. The ritual involves tying one of the two Kappu (an ornament) made in Panchaloham onto the Goddess’s sword and the other onto the hand of Melshanti (Chief Priest). Kappu is tied on Melshanti’s hand after sprinkling him with holy water as a sign of purification.
On the evening of the ninth day of the festival, a divine procession of Attukal Amma makes its way to the Manacaud Sastha temple. Upon the Goddess’s return to Attukal, the Kappu is removed from both the Goddess’s sword and the hand of the Melshanti.
Panchaloham (also called Panchaloha – literally meaning, five metals) is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance used for making Hindu temple icons (Murti)
On the 25th, at 10.30 am, the pongala hearth (called Pandarayaduppu) will be lighted by the Melshanti thus declaring the start of the Pongala ceremony. Lakhs of women who are participating in this ritual for the blessings of Attukal Bhagavathy will then light their hearths and start making the customary pongala rice offerings. Pongala will be completed after the Ucha Puja at 2.30 PM when the holy water will be sprinkled on the pongala offerings made by the devotees.
The the 10-day Pongala Mahotsavam will conclude on 26th at 12.30 pm with the ‘Kuruti Tharpanam’. The ‘Kuthiyottam’, a ritual observed by boys below the age of 12 years, will begin on the third day after the beginning of the Pongala festival. On the day of Pongala, ‘Thalapoli’, a ritual by young girls, will also take place. The officials of the Attukal Temple Trust informed that the preparations for the festival have been completed.
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