THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Demonstrating a spirit of communal harmony, the Palayam Juma Masjid on Tuesday made elaborate arrangements to welcome devotees participating in the annual Attukal Pongala festival in the capital.
Three makeshift pandals were set up within the mosque premises to provide much-needed rest facilities, ensuring comfort for women arriving from various places to take part in the ritual.
With Attukal Pongala coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan, the masjid arranged fans, drinking water, chairs, and designated spaces for devotees to lie down and relax after offering pongala.
In a gesture of solidarity, several devotees also participated in the iftar (fast-breaking) gatherings held at the mosque on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
“Usually, we open our community hall for pongala devotees. However, as it is Ramazan, the hall is being used for iftar preparations. Therefore, we arranged makeshift pandals inside the mosque premises for women devotees to rest, and many of them spent the night here. Every year, we make special arrangements for women devotees. We also prepared an iftar feast for them,” said Palayam Imam V P Suhaib Maulavi.
A K Meera Sahib, administrator of the mosque, said hundreds of devotees arrived from Monday evening onwards to rest at the masjid.
Renuka P H, a devotee from Nedumangad who was resting inside the mosque, expressed gratitude for the facilities. “I have been offering pongala for the past eight years, and this is not the first time I am availing the facilities here. We have rested at the masjid in previous years as well,” she said.
Another devotee, Aswathy S from Attingal, said the gesture reflected the communal harmony in society. “It was extremely hot outside, and we were exhausted after offering pongala. It is comforting to have a safe and pleasant place to rest inside the masjid,” she said.