THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sumithra Chetri, a resident of Assam, was so captivated by the Attukal Pongala festival that this year she decided to participate and offer her first-ever pongala. Having worked in a star hotel for the past four years in the capital, the grand annual pongala ritual had caught her attention since she arrived here.
“I was amazed by the spectacle. Hundreds of women coming together on a particular day and participating in such a grandeur. I was curious and this year I decided to take part and I feel really good and blessed,” says Sumitra Chethri, who was seen offering pongala near Bakery Jn - Thampanoor Road.
Men participating in pongala ritual is not common and 29-year-old Vishnu Binu has broken this norm by offering pongala in 101 pots at Thampanoor. Vishnu, a Kayamkulam resident came all the way from Dubai to participate in the pongala this year.
“I came with my mother and brother to offer pongala and I am performing the ritual because my marriage got fixed. I had prayed and offered this pongala hoping that my marriage would happen. My mother and brother came to help me,” says Vishnu.
The sweltering heat and temperature alerts failed to deter the festive spirit of devotees as they turned up in large numbers to take part in the annual Attukal Pongala ritual, which began at 10.15 am on Thursday.
Owing to the high daytime temperature, the pongala chain was broken and scattered and people in large groups were seen offering pongala under tree shades and where there were shades to take rest. East Fort, Thampanoor and the entire MG Road stretch were taken over by devotees.
Leela Kumari, from Kollam, who was seen resting, complained about the distribution of drinking water. “I have been offering pongala for the past 25 years and they are distributing water but if we ask for more they are hesitant. Usually it’s not like that. I felt it was hotter than in previous years,” says Leela.
The pongala concluded with sprinkling of holy water at 1.15 pm. Rathi V, another devotee from Kollam, who offered pongala at Fort, was seen resting under the shade of a tree. “The weather was so good yesterday. It was cloudy and today it’s just the opposite. Yesterday, because of good weather, we could roam around all day,” says Rathi.
As many as 30 wards in the city corporation were declared festival zones for pongala. However, the pongala spread, though broken, was offered even in areas bordering the capital. The capital witnessed heavy traffic for hours, even after pongala as devotees started leaving in large numbers.