Attukal Pongala held in Attukal Temple, Thiruvananthapuram is the largest congregation of women for a festival in the world. The festival devoted to Attukal Devi or Attukalamma is a women-centric festival and women offer sweets in earthen pots to Attukal Devi. Millions of devotees gather around the temple to worship Attukal Devi.
Pongala, which means 'to boil over’, is the ritual in which women prepare sweet payasam (from rice, jaggery, coconut and plantains cooked together) and offer it to Goddess ‘Bhagavathy’. It is celebrated every year in the Malayalam month of Kumbham.
It is a ten-day festival which begins on the Karthika star with traditional Kappukettu and Kudiyiruthu ceremony, the idol of Devi, is embellished with Kappu (Bangles). The 9th day of the festival, 'Pooram (Purnima or full moon) day' is the major attraction. The Attukal Pongala day and the festival concludes with the Kuruthitharpanam on the 10th day Makam star night.
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