‘Attukal Pongala’ means a lot to Diana Philip, a businesswoman settled in Kuwait. Diana, who belongs to an Orthodox Christian family in Idukki, has been offering Pongala for the past ten years. For many years, her husband Philip Samuel had helped her with the offering, but after his death, Diana has been offering the Pongala accompanied by her two daughters.
‘’Even today, I remember the day we decided to commit suicide as we were in severe debt. It was one of my friends, Subha S, who took us to the Attukal Temple on a festival day years ago and prompted me to offer Pongala. That day seemed to bring a change in our lives. We are now busy all round the year, the only pain being the demise of my husband. There is so much that is beyond our expectation,” she said.
On Tuesday, Diana and her daughters joined lakhs of women from all over the state to offer Pongala to Attukal Devi. The women who arrived from various parts of Kerala squatted on roads, footpaths and shopfronts to offer ‘Pongala’, ‘therali’ and ‘mandaputtu’ in earthen pots. It is believed that offering ‘mandaputtu’ to the deity reduces headaches for those suffering from it. The Pongala ritual is the main event of the nine-day annual festival at the temple.
‘’The Pongala offering involves a total dedication. For the past ten years, I have been taking strict ‘vritham’ once the ‘paattu’ starts at the temple. It is with my two daughters that I follow the ritual with dedication,” said Diana. ‘’It is not something that can be changed with changing times because my life would be incomplete without offering Pongala,’’ she said.
Many women tourists from abroad attired in saree were seen drinking in the scenes. “It is fascinating and I have never seen anything of this kind so far,” said Hamet Saachu, hailing from France. Hamet has been in the city for the past one month. Along with her friends, she took photographs of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple and spoke to the devotees. Hamet described the Pongala as a lively festival which marks the unity of women in Kerala.