THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In connection with the Attukal pongala festival on Thursday, the city streets are all set with arrangements for pongala offering. The major share of the roads is found filled with the hearth stones for the pongala offering.
According to the Attukal Temple Trust, around 45 lakh of devotees are expected to attend the pongala. The ‘space reservation’, for those who come from distant places, on the roadsides started from Tuesday itself.
“There will be an increase in the number of locations, where the devotees can conduct pongala offering. On the southern side, it will be extended till Kaimanam. Peroorkada would be the north end,” said City Traffic (North) Circle Inspector P Niyas.
The other boundaries would be Poojappura in the east, Venapalavattom in the west and Kesavadasapuram, he added. A good number of arts and sports clubs, community organisations, employees’ unions affiliated to various trade unions and auto-taxi unions in the city limits are on board with arrangements for devotees to conduct pongala offering. Most of these organisations have been arranging hearth stone bricks, refreshments and food for the devotees.
On the Pippinmoodu - Oolampara SAP camp road, Kadappathala Devi Vilasom NSS karayogam and Swathy Nagar Residents Association have made arrangements to conduct pongala offering.
“It was from last year that people started coming here for pongala offering. Though around 500 devotees came then, now we are expecting around 1200. Almost 4000 bricks have been arranged for hearths,’’ said Hariprasad, secretary of Swathy Nagar Residents Association.
Siva Sena Autorickshaw Thozhilali union has made arrangements for around 250 pongala hearths near Mental Health centre .Autodrivers’ Welfare Association, Peroorkada, has arranged hearth stones for 5000 pongalas to be offered. ‘Annadanam’ for around 10000 persons is planned.
“Arrangements for the devotees have been done inside Post Office compound, Government Hospital premises, police station area, Nadan compound (old theatre compound) and Peroorkada junction upto the traffic signal post towards Nedumangad road,” said Sumesh K, association secretary.
Cine actor Suresh Gopi will attend the function to be held at Peroorkada junction on Thursday at 10.15 am.
At Kesavadasapuram, around three groups are ready to offer services in connection with pongala offering. A group of 45 persons under the banner of “Kesavadasapuram Brothers’ have arranged hearth stones for around 1500 devotees.
“We are arranging the stones from Kesavadasapuram junction till MG College side. Last year around 1000 people came for pongala here. Most of them were from Venjaramoodu, Kilimanoor, Kottayam side. They have contacted us earlier for reserving the space. We are arranging lunch for around 4500 persons,” said Anil Kumar, representative of Kesavadasapuram Brothers.
Hearth stones for pongala offering have also come up at the roads at Kowdiar, Vellayambalam, Statue and East Fort and surrounding areas of the Attukal temple.