THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a quarter to five at Attukal Devi temple, here. Several hundreds of people were seen waiting in queues patiently to have a darshan of their beloved goddess when the sanctum sanctorum would open for the evening pooja at 5pm.
The Covid-19 scare seems to have had little effect on them. But many were cautious enough to wear a face mask.
As the bell rang signaling the opening of the sanctum, the devotees made loud chants in unison.
The pongala eve witnessed even more rush than the previous year, according to Ajith Kumar M A, joint secretary of the temple trust.
“We want all devotees to abide by the instructions of the health department. Those who are at risk should stay away. Those who attend should take safety precautions. Personal safety measures have a big role in preventing infection,” he said. The temple trust will take every effort to make the festival safe. “The health department has directed us to follow certain precautions such as sanitising the hand railings and other premises frequently. This is being done meticulously,” he said.
The health department had announced that it would take videos of those offering the ritual on the temple premises and public roads. The video will help identify the ‘contacts’ of a devotee if she is found to be infected later.
The pongala rituals will start at 9.45 am with the ‘sudha punyaha’. Afterwards, the temple thantri Thekkedath Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad will hand over a lamp from the sanctum to chief priest P Easwaran Namboodiri who would light the hearth in the thidappalli.
Easwaran Namboodiri will hand over the lamp to the co-chief priest.
The latter will light the pongala hearths in the valiya thidappally and the pandara aduppu, the hearth set up near the flag mast.
Crackers will be burst during the lighting of the pandara aduppu signaling devotees lined up on the temple premises and the numerous roads to light up their hearths to prepare their offering for the goddess.
The sanctification of the pongala will be held at 2.10 pm. The kuthiyottam ritual of boys will be held at night.
The health department has issued a set of instructions for devotees attending the Attukal Pongala festival on Monday. Health Minister K K Shailaja has asked devotees with symptoms of COVID-19 or those with the risk of an infection to not attend the festival.
“Persons at risk include those who recently travelled to countries where COVID-19 was reported. Foreigners, who have exclusively come for the festival, should make the offering at their residence or hotel,” stated DISHA, the government’s health information service.
Self-isolation is the real prayer for the good of the community, their family and themselves, it added.