Context: Women celebrated the Attukal Pongala festival by making the ritual offering to the presiding deity of the Attukal Bhagavathy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
More Information:
- The temple, Attukal Bhagavathy temple is also known as ‘Women’s Sabarimala’, since women form the major portion of the Devi’s devotees.
- ‘Attukal Pongala’ includes rituals such as, lighting of the ‘Pandara Aduppu’, the main hearth of the temple. After this, ritual offering is cooked by the women.
- The presiding deity, Attukal Bhagavathy, is the divine incarnation of Kannaki, the protagonist of the Tamil epic, Silappadhikaram.
- The story is that after destroying Madurai to avenge the injustice done to her husband Kovalan, Kannaki reached Kerala, and took rest at Attukal.
- Silappadhikaram is the earliest Tamil epic.
- It is a poem of 5,730 lines describing the tragic love story of an ordinary Kannaki and her husband Kovalan. The epic is set in a flourishing seaport city of the early Chola kingdom.
- Author: It is attributed to a prince-turned-Jain monk Illango Adigal (brother of Chera king Senguttuvan) and was probably composed in the 5th or 6th century CE.
Attukal Bhagavathy temple:
- The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu religious shrine in Kerala, India.
- Goddess 'Attukal devi', is the supreme mother, goddess of power and courage.
- She is often referred as Kannaki, the heroine of Ilanko Adikal's 'Silappadhikaram'.
- A festival that has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the single largest gathering of women for a religious activity, the Attukal Pongala continues to draw millions of women with each passing year.
- Attukal Temple is situated near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, in Thiruvananthapuram.
Attukal Pongala:
- Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam is a 10 days festival which falls on February-March every year.
- The festival begins with the traditional Kappu Kettu and Kudiyiruntha ceremony, in which, the idol of Devi, is embellished with Kappu (Bangles).
- The 9th day of the festival, 'Pooram day' is the major attraction.
- Pongala/Naivedyam (rice cooked with jaggery, ghee, coconut as well as other ingredients) is prepared in the open in small pots to please the Goddess Kannaki.