An estimated 35 lakh women took part in the event which entered the Guinness World Records in 2009 for the maximum participation by women.
Attukal Pongala 2022: The festival is celebrated by women who gather in the temple and offer sweets in earthen pots to Attukal Devi.
Attukal Pongala 2022: In Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Attukal Pongala is a 10-day festival celebrated at the Attukal Temple. The festival is celebrated by women who gather in the temple and offer sweets in earthen pots to Attukal Devi. Known to be one of the largest women-gathering festivals in the world, it falls in the Malayalam month of Kumbham in February-March. Attukal Pongala is being celebrated on February 18 this year. The puja can be performed between 4:10 pm on February 17 and 4:42 pm on February 18.
Goddess Kannaki or Attukal Amma is known to have combined powers of Goddess Saraswati – The Goddess of Knowledge, art, and music; Goddess Lakshmi- The Goddess of wealth; and Goddess Kali -The Goddess of time. Attukal Devi is known to grant the wishes of her devotees who complete the rituals of this festival and make wishes simultaneously.
Attukal Temple of Kerala is dedicated to Bhadrakali, who killed the demon Daruka who is believed to be born from Lord Shiva’s third eye. Devotees believe that all their wishes are fulfilled by the Goddess.
The 10 day-long festival commences with a musical rendering of Goddess Kannaki Charitam, which is only conducted by authorised families. It starts with the Devi being embellished with bangles. On the 9th day of this festival, the roads of the city are blocked as women assemble around the radius of the temple to make offerings. Womenfolk prepare sweet dishes made of rice, jaggery, coconut and ghee to offer the goddess.
In 1997, the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple Trust in Kerala made a world record which was also registered in the Guinness Book of World Records. Around 2.5 million women gathered for the festival, making it the largest gathering of women. Women gather on open grounds to prepare the Pongal, which is a sight for people to watch.
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