| Aatukaal Pongala | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Hindus of Kerala |
| Type | Religious, cultural |
| Date | per Hindu calendar |
| 2023 date | Tuesday, 7 March[1] |
| 2024 date | Sunday, 25 February[2] |
| Frequency | Annual |
Attukal Pongala is a 10-day religious festival celebrated at the 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.[3] In 2009, a new Guinness World Records celebrated 2.5 million attendance.[4] This temple is also known as the Sabarimala for Women.[5]
- ^ Attukal Pongala, Tuesday / ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച
- ^ 2024 Attukal Pongala
- ^ "Ponkala makes it to Guinness". The Hindu. 15 March 2012.
- ^ "Largest gathering of women". Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records.
- ^ Ponmelil, V. A. "Temples of Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram Attukal Temple". newkerala.com.