{"id":1420,"date":"2020-02-15T20:24:50","date_gmt":"2020-02-15T14:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.keralatourism.holiday\/blog\/?p=1420"},"modified":"2020-02-15T20:24:51","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T14:54:51","slug":"attukal-pongala-festival-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keralatourism.holiday\/blog\/attukal-pongala-festival-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Attukal Pongala Festival 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Event\nDate: <\/strong>9th\nMarch 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venue:<\/strong> Attukal Bhagavathy\nTemple, Trivandrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Attukal<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kerala<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is not all about its scenic natural beauty, beaches, backwaters and hill stations, moreover the stunning exquisitely beautiful temples are among its star attractions.\u00a0Kerala<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is home to a countless number of amazing temples that are not only splendid in terms of their history, mythology, beauty, and architectural magnificence but also because of the spectacular and ritualistic festivals celebrated here with great pomp and show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most prominent temple festivals celebrated in\u00a0Kerala<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is the Attukal Pongala Festival<\/strong>\u00a0which is celebrated religiously every year at the famous\u00a0Attukal Bhagavathy Temple\u00a0<\/strong>in\u00a0Trivandrum<\/strong><\/a>. The main highlight is that this festival is exclusively for women and has even won the\u00a0Guinness World Record<\/strong>\u00a0for being the largest single gathering of women for religious activity in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the annual\u00a0Attukal Pongala Festival\u00a0will be held on\u00a0March 9th, 2020.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Read on to know more about Attukal Pongala Festival 2020:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attukal\nPongala Festival 2020:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Attukal Pongala<\/strong>\u00a0is a world-renowned ritualist annual festival celebrated at the famous\u00a0Attukal Bhagavathy Temple<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Trivandrum<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>district of Kerala<\/a><\/strong> <\/strong><\/a>by the women folks. The festival lasts for ten days which commences on the Bharani day of the Malayalam month of Makaram or Kumbham that concludes with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam at night. It usually falls in February or March.\u00a0Attukal Bhagavathy Temple<\/strong>\u00a0is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali (Kannaki) who is fondly referred to as ‘Attukalamma’\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0Attukal Pongala Festival<\/strong>\u00a0is observed strictly by the womenfolk every year without fail. Regardless of the scorching heat of the sun, lakhs of women in traditional attires line up on either side of the roads around the Attukal Temple<\/strong>, making offerings of Pongala<\/strong> to appease the Goddess\u00a0Attukalamma<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Women<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pongala<\/strong>\u00a0is actually a mix of rice with jaggery and grated coconut which is cooked for about two hours in fresh earthen or metal pots. The chief priest of the temple carries Devi’s sword and blesses the ladies by sprinkling holy water and showering flowers and the blessed Pongala<\/strong> is then distributed amongst the devotees. The entire city lights up in festive fervor with the regular conduct of Bhajans, musical concerts, ballets depicting folk and temple arts etc for 10 days. The ritualistic preparation of Pongala<\/strong> takes place on the ninth day of the festival. Over three million women participate in the\u00a0Attukal Pongala Festival<\/strong>\u00a0every year for which it has reached\u00a0Guinness Book of World Records<\/strong>\u00a0for being the single largest gathering of women for religious activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Unidentified<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This year 2020, this 10 days festival starts from 1st March 2020 to 10th March 2020 and the grand Attukal Pongala event will be celebrated on 9th March 2020<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

About\nAttukal Bhagavathy Temple:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple<\/strong>\u00a0is a famous Hindu religious shrine in\u00a0Kerala<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0which is often referred to as “Sabarimala of Women<\/strong>“. Goddess Bhadrakali who is fondly known as\u00a0Attukalamma<\/strong>\u00a0is the main deity of this temple who is worshipped here in 3 different forms namely Maha Saraswathi<\/strong> – the Goddess of Knowledge, Maha Lakshmi<\/strong> – the Goddess of Wealth and Mahakali\/ Durga\/ Parvathy<\/strong> – the Goddess of Power. Attukalamma<\/strong> is considered as an avatar of Kannaki,\u00a0<\/strong>the heroine of ‘Silapathikaram’ of Ilanko Adikal, who is appraised as the supreme preserver and destroyer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Inside<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple<\/strong>\u00a0is an architectural marvel that beautifully combines the architectural styles of Kerala <\/strong>and Tamil Nadu<\/strong>. Mythological stories of Hinduism adorns the walls of the temple and one side of temple’s gopura depict the stories of Kannaki. \u2018Dasavatara<\/strong>\u2019 or the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu<\/strong> inside the temple is an added delight. Also, the intricately carved figures of Mahishasuramardhini<\/strong>, Goddess Kali<\/strong>, Rajarajeswari, Sree Parvathy <\/strong>with Lord Shiva<\/strong> are a visual treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Women<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Legend\nhas it that Kannaki<\/strong> took revenge on the King of Madurai by cursing the\ncity with disaster, for a mistaken death penalty imposed on her husband\nKovalan. After the annihilation of the entire Kingdom of Madurai, Kannaki\nreached Attukal <\/strong>where she disguised herself as a young girl and appeared\nin front of the head (Karanavar) of the Mulluveetil family, an influential\nfamily of the region, near the Killi river and requested the old man to help\nher cross the river. The extraordinary charm, charisma and glow of the little\ngirl made the old man believe that the girl is divine and helped her cross the\nriver as well as invited her to his home. But she disappeared. That night, she\ncame back in his sleep and asked him to build a temple for her where he found 3\ngolden lines in his grove. The temple was built as per the instruction which\ncame to be known as the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. <\/strong>Devotees\nbelieve that Attukalamma<\/strong> will be present at Attukal<\/strong> during\nthe Pongala festival.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top Tourist Attractions in Thiruvananthapuram:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Trivandrum<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trivandrum<\/strong><\/a>, the state capital of Kerala<\/a><\/strong> is an amazing place of historical, natural and spiritual significance as well as it is dotted with a bunch of tourist attractions. From world-renowned temples, palaces, to beautiful tourists spots, there is a lot to explore in Trivandrum<\/strong><\/a>. Some of the popular tourist attractions here are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n