>Iffy at 16:06, 20 June 2021

2021-06-20T16:06:27Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name = Aatukaal Ponkala
| image = Attukal-pongala-1024x622.jpg
| caption = Women gathering as part of Attukal pongala
| type = Hindu
| nickname =
| observedby = [[Hindus]] of Southern Kerala and some Christians <ref name="NDTV"/>
| longtype = Religious, cultural
| date = per [[Hindu calendar]]
| date2019 = Wednesday, 20 February
| date2020 = Monday, 9 March
| celebrations =
| frequency = Annual
}}

'''Attukal Pongala''' is a 10-day religious festival celebrated at the [[Attukal Temple|Attukal Bhagavathy Temple]] in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] in the Indian state of [[Kerala]]. On the ninth day there is a huge gathering of millions of women on the temple surroundings. These women prepare a divine food made of rice in earthen pots and offer it to the Attukal Amma (Goddess of the Temple). The pongala preparation starts with the ritual called 'Aduppuvettu'. This is the lighting of the pongala hearth (called Pandarayaduppu) placed inside the temple by the chief priest. This is the earliest Pongala festival in Kerala.
The festival is marked as the largest annual gathering of women by the Guinness World Records. The ceremony was set up in Guinness Book of World Records on February 23, 1997, when 1.5 million women participated in Pongala.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news|title=Ponkala makes it to Guinness|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ponkala-makes-it-to-guinness/article3061478.ece|agency=The Hindu|date=2012-03-15}}</ref> In 2009, a new Guinness World Records celebrated 2.5 million attendance.<ref name="Guinness">{{cite web|title=Largest gathering of women|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-annual-gathering-of-women|website=Guinness World Records|publisher=Guinness World Records}}</ref> This temple is also known as the ''[[Sabarimala]] for women''.<ref name="newkerala">{{cite web|last1=Ponmelil|first1=V. A.|title=Temples of Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram Attukal Temple|url=https://temples.newkerala.com/index.php?news=Temples-of--Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram-Attukal-Temple|website=newkerala.com}}</ref>

Though it is a Hindu festival, many Christian women in Kerala also offers Pongala to the Goddess.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2013/feb/27/attukal-pongala-women-unite-across-caste-creed--religion-454165.amp|title=Attukal Pongala: Women unite across caste, creed & religion|newspaper=New Indian Express|author=Lekshmi Mohan|date=27 February 2013|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="NDTV">{{Cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/kerala-news/40-lakh-women-expected-for-attukal-pongala-festival-1280100?amp=1&akamai-rum=off|title=40 Lakh Women Expected For Attukal Pongala Festival|newspaper=NDTV|date=22 February 2016|access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>

The Attukal Pongala was held on March 9, 2020.<ref name="hindu2">{{cite news |last1=Rajwi |first1=Tiki |title=Thousands of women flock to Thiruvananthapuram for Attukal Pongala today |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/thousands-of-women-flock-to-thiruvananthapuram-for-attukal-pongala-today/article31020975.ece |accessdate=29 March 2020 |work=The Hindu |date=9 March 2020 |language=en-IN}}</ref> The Attukal Pongala event started at 10.20 am and ends at 2.10 pm with the traditional Nivedyam. Thousands of women participated despite the high alert from the state government against large gatherings due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="hindu2"/> The next Attukal Pongala will be held on February 27, 2021.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External link==
*{{commonscatinline}}

[[Category:Guinness World Records]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals in Kerala]]
[[Category:Gatherings of women]]
[[Category:Hinduism and women]]

{{Hindu-temple-stub}}

Attukal Pongala - Revision history

>Iffy at 16:06, 20 June 2021