THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The annual Attukal Pongala began at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple on Tuesday morning with the temple rituals beginning at 9.15 am. At 9.45 am, in the presence of temple tantri Parameswaran Bhattathirippad, melshanthi Aneesh Namboothiri transferred the sacred flame from the sanctum sanctorum to the ‘pandara adupp’, main hearth prepared in the temple courtyard.
Following the lighting of the main hearth at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, thousands of women devotees across the city are now lighting their individual hearths and beginning the preparation of Pongala in earthen pots.
The auspicious boiling-over of the Pongala is expected in the next few hours, after which priests will perform the nivedyam at 2.15pm by sprinkling sacred water on the offerings.
Over 350 priests designated by the temple will sprinkle sacred water on the offerings prepared by devotees. As in previous years, a floral shower from an aircraft will be held at the time of the Pongala nivedyam.
Temple authorities said around 40 lakh women are participating in the Pongala this year. With a lunar eclipse also falling on Tuesday, the sanctum sanctorum will be closed at 3.10 pm after the Pongala proceedings conclude and will reopen only at 7 pm.
Across the city, homes, temples and churches opened their gates to welcome devotees. To facilitate those preparing Pongala, the CSI Christ Church in Palayam, and St Joseph’s Cathedral altered their prayer timings. Office-bearers of the Palayam Juma Masjid said its community hall and premises would be open to devotees arriving to offer Pongala.
Residents’ associations and workers’ organisations have actively stepped in to provide food, drinking water and other basic facilities. Street corners have been lit up since the festival eve. Devotees from distant places began arriving in the city as early as Sunday.
To ensure security, around 4,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city. Arrangements are being carried out under the leadership of City Police Commissioner K Karthick. The city has been divided into four zones, 13 divisions and 29 sectors, with coordination of all zones managed through a central control room.
24 hour police control rooms have been set up at Attukal, Padasery, East Fort and Thampanoor. Devotees can approach the control rooms for emergencies, lost belongings, medical help and traffic-related information. Crowd and queue management systems have been put in place. Five watch towers have been installed in the temple vicinity, announcements will be made through megaphones at 20 locations, and drones are deployed for surveillance in key areas.