And for a Friday in Trivandrum, having witnessed the world famous Attukal Bhagwathy Pooja, some thoughts….. some musings…..
It’s almost unbelievable; a congregation of more than 25 lakh women to pray at a temple at the appointed time on a single day. The Attukal Bhagwathy Devi Pongala is exclusively for women and boys under 12. Men are not allowed. Hence it’s also referred to as the counterpart of “Sabarimala”, where only men attend amd women are not allowed. In 2009, the ritual had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest religious gathering of women in a single day. Since the crowds are so huge, a 10 kms radius of the temple becomes the primary zone. All footpaths of roads and open spaces leading to the temple become venues of the Pongala offering, a massive spectacle of women cooking Pongala – a sweet dish made of rice, jaggery, coconut and water in earthen pots on makeshift bricks hearths – braving the heat, starting the cooking same time as the temple miles away. And at 2.30 pm, more than 300 priests of the Temple will spray Nivedyam on the Pongala, thus blessed by the Goddess. It’s also sprayed in the 10 kms radius by Drones and Helicopters. The devotees disburse after 2.30 pm, sharing the Prasadam with all near and dear ones.
It’s believed that those who pray to the Attukal Devi with strong belief and devotion, their wishes will be fulfilled by the Goddess. Govt departments and various NGOs all work in unison to make the event possible and a success. Railways run special trains. There are hundreds of extra buses, lots of free food, summer drinks and fruits, all distributed free to the devotees coming from all parts of Kerala. The most remarkable achievement is that within few hours of the event closing, the entire city is cleaned up. Hats off to the corporation’s staff who work thru the night to remove all debris and water the roads absolutely clean. The millions of bricks are all moved to few centres in the city and given to poor people to build their homes.
Attukal Pongala is a fabulous experience. May the Goddess bless us all to be healthy, happy and ever caring for each other, the loving way, the devoted way, the SEEGOS way.