THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The annual pongala ritual of Attukal Devi temple got off to a colourful start in Thiruvananthapuram city. There is a marked increase in the number of devotees attending the festival this year, according to the Attukal Devi temple management.
The rituals at the temple began at 10.15 am when the temple thantri Thekkedath Prameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiri handed over a lighted lamp to the melsanthi. The latter will light the hearth at the valiya thidappally, the temple kitchen. He then handed over the lamp to his co-priest who would light the pandara aduppu, a large hearth set up on the temple courtyard.The lighting of the pandara aduppu marks the beginning of the community pongala ritual.
The pongala ritual is held on the tenth day of the annual festival at the Attukal Devi temple. In 2009, the pongala ritual made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest gathering of women. Large number of devotees from different parts of the state and some from other states and countries are participating in the ritual. Most of them had arrived in the capital on Wednesday evening. Devotees waited in long queues to have a glance of the Attukal Devi, the presiding deity.
The ritual will end with the pouring of blessed water on the cooked porridges at 1.45 p.m. Fireworks and traditional percussion orchestra were held at the temple to mark the start of the ritual. Priests assigned by the temple will bless the pongala porridges on the temple premises and nearby areas. During the blessing ritual, priests sprinkle holy water on the porridge.
The city corporation and the police have made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival. A total of 3,800 police officers have been deployed across the city. Of them, 1,000 are women police personnel. 180 CCTV cameras have been installed around the Attukal temple and major roads. Two watchtowers have also been built. There will be drone surveillance to monitor crowd movement and security.