2023 Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Date Malayalam Timings Pooja

Know the details about the 2023 Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Date Malayalam Timings Pooja, 2023 Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Date, 2023 Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam

Attukal Pongala is a well-known Malayala event held annually at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The festival begins on the Karthigai star of the Malayalam month of Makaram or Kumbham and concludes at night with the Kuruthitharpanam, which alludes to a sacrificial offering. This event lasts ten days.

The festival is one of the biggest all women religious gatherings in the world. On the 9th day of this festival, the Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam will takes place. The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is devoted to Attukal Bhagavathi and is located in the city centre. The temple, according to legend, is the manifestation of Lannaki, the principal figure of the Tamil epic ‘Silappathikaaram.’

2023 Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Date Malayalam Timings Pooja

2023 Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Date and Timings:

• On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Attukal Pongala
• Pooram Nakshathram begins on March 7, 2023 at 12:05 a.m.
• Pooram Nakshathram concludes on March 8, 2023 at 02:22 AM.

How is the Attukal Pongala observed:

The top priest of the Attukal Bhagavathi Temple fuels the makeshift stove with fire taken from the temple’s sanctuary sanctorum. The ladies then utilised this fire to light their stoves, which they used to prepare their offering of rice, jaggery, and coconut. They cooked with fresh ingredients because only fresh products are offered to the deity. On this day, the women only wear new outfits. Children put on new outfits to participate in the Pongala festival.

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A Festival’s Rare Charm:

On the ninth day of the festival, all roads in and around Thiruvananthapuram appear to lead to the Attukal Temple. The entire area of about 7 kilometres around the temple, with houses of people of all caste, creed, and religion, open fields, roads, and commercial institutions, emerges as a consecrated ground for observing Pongala ritual for the lakhs of women devotees assembling from various parts of Kerala and beyond. This ritual is restricted to women alone. It is a delightful sight to see waves after waves of women of all ages, regardless of caste, colour, or creed, surging into this area well in advance, mostly carrying materials such as firewood, earthen pots, rice, jaggery, coconut, and so on, to mark out specific spots for the preparation of their offerings to the Goddess. 

The preparation of rice or variations of sweet rice in open hearths and earthen pots is a major rite in the ‘Pongala.’ The top priest of the temple gives the signal for lighting the fire at a predetermined auspicious hour, which is followed by the humming of the temple at Thidappally. Melsanthi lights the fireplace at Thidappally, as well as Panadara aduppu and Saha melsanthi.

The event culminates with the sprinkling of holy water by temple priests at the allotted hour in the evening, followed by an aerial showering of flowers in honour of the Goddess Almighty. The temple officials make all required provisions for the welfare of this large congregation, with the active cooperation of volunteer organisations, local residents, festival committee members, and other government departments. They maintain law and order in the area with the assistance of the police and specially trained volunteers. The massive crowd that has gathered here is reminiscent of the Kumbha Mela celebration in North India.