THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The pongala festival at Karikkakom Chamundi Temple for this year witnessed the participation of a large number of women.
Temple authorities said that the number of devotees who offered pongala could range between seven and nine lakh. Pongala offering stretched beyond the temple premises to the roads nearby and to 4 to 5 kilometres from the temple.
The ritualistic lighting of ‘pandara aduppu’ was performed by temple thantri Puliannur Mana Anujan Namboothiripad at 10 am on Wednesday. The ‘pongala tharpanam’ was at 2 pm. To sprinkle the holy water on the pongala offering at the hearths, as many as 140 priests were engaged.
To manage the heavy rush crowd, three temporary bridges were constructed connecting the Highway with the temple as in the previous year.
Elaborate arrangements were put in place in coordination with the police, KSRTC, Kerala Water Authority, City Corporation and other government agencies. Realising the need to offer more facilities for the rising number of devotees coming to offer pongala at the temple, the Temple Trust is planning to construct a concrete bridge in place of the present steel bridge connecting the temple from Highway.
‘’We are in the process of preparing a proposal to be submitted to the government to erect a new bridge replacing the present one. The diverse aspects of constructing the new bridge has to be studied and also about the impact of closure of the present bridge during construction time. We are also planning to construct a marriage hall in the temple,’’ said V Ashok Kumar, secretary of the Karikkakom Sri Chamundi Temple Trust.
The seven-day temple festival which began on March 26 came to a close with Pongala on the final day.
