THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Consecrated offerings boiled and flowed over the earthen pots, while devotees immersed in their own prayers to Attukal Amma, across the roads of the capital city on Tuesday. The scorching sun, smoke from the hearths, dust carried by the wind — none of them mattered before the lakhs of women who came from across the state and even crossed international boundaries, and lined up along the roads of Thiruvananthapuram city to offer Attukal Pongala, the annual ritual at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. Temple officials stated that the event proceeded in a hassle-free and complaint-free manner.
The rituals at the temple began at 9.15 am with Melsanthi Brahmasree Aneesh Namboothiri lighting the pongala hearth inside the temple. At 9.45 am, he transferred the sacred flame from the sanctum sanctorum to the ‘pandara aduppu’ (master hearth) in the presence of temple tantri Parameswaran Bhattathirippad.
From here, the flame was passed on to women across the city. Over 350 designated priests from the temple sprinkled the sacred water on the offerings of all participants at 2.15 pm. The rituals came to an end with the ceremonial sanctification of the hearths by 2.30 pm. While the temple was closed by 3.10 pm due to a lunar eclipse on Tuesday, the sanctum sanctorum reopened by 7 pm.
The Palayam junction, often hailed as an epitome of Kerala’s secular culture, was a site of heartwarming visuals. The believers of St Joseph’s Cathedral were actively engaged in distributing buttermilk to the Pongala devotees, while other churches altered their prayer timings.
The gates of the Palayam Juma Masjid were opened to participants to collect water and use the washrooms. Sheds were also set up for the devotees to take rest when the heat became unbearable. Over 4,000 police personnel and 24-hour control rooms were deployed across the city to ensure law and order.
Politicians were not unseen from the pongala space. While AICC general secretary Deepa Das Munshi lit her hearth at the residence of KPCC general secretary Manacaud Suresh, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje offered her pongala at the BJP state headquarters here. Temple authorities said about 40 lakh devotees took part in the festival. The pongala rituals were performed with strict adherence to the green protocol.