Attukal Pongala 2011 date is February 19, 2011. It is observed during Malayalam month of Kumbham (February – March).
The
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, one of the ancient temples of South India, is popularly
described as Sabarimala of the Women, as women form the major portion of devotees. The
Goddess in the temple of Attukal is worshipped as the Supreme Mother, creator of all living
beings and the mighty preserver as well as destroyer of them all. The pilgrims from all over the
country, who visit Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple and worship the Lord, do not consider their
visits complete without the visit to the shrine of the supreme Mother Attukalamma. Vishnumaya
took the incarnation of Bhagavathy to annihilate the evil and protect the good in the world in the
present Era namely Kaliyuga
The
Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The
offering of Pongala is a special temple practice prevalent in the southern part of Kerala and some
parts of Tamilnadu. It is a ten-day programme commencing on the Karthika star of the Malayalam
month of Makaram-Kumbham (February-March) and closing with the sacrificial offering known
as Kuruthitharpanam at night. On the ninth day of the festival the world famous Attukal Pongala
Mahotsavam takes place. The entire area of about 5 kilometre radius around temple with
premises of houses of people of all caste, creed and religion, open fields, roads, commercial
institutions, premises of Government offices etc. emerges as a consecrated ground for observing
Pongala rituals for lakhs of women devotees assembling from different parts of Kerala and
outside. The ceremony is exclusively confined to women folk and the enormous crowd, which
gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbhamela Festival
of North India.
The devotees offer
Pongala, an offering of boiled rice in earthen pot to the goddess Devi.
Attukal Pongala has become a symbol of celebration of womanhood. Pongala explores the inner
chemistry of the body, mind and soul; recharging the devotee with a sublime happiness and make
her spiritually and mentally equipped to face the challenges of the future.
Last year more than 3million women participated in the
Attukal Pongala festival. It has also
entered the Guinness Book of World Records twice as the largest gathering of women in the
world.