Attukal Pongala is a ten-day festival that begins on the Bharani day of the Malayalam month Makaram-Kumbham, usually falling in February or March
This year, the festival is being celebrated on 13th March 2025, with Pooram Nakshathram beginning at 4:05 AM on 13th March and ending at 6:19 AM on 14th March. Women participate in the ritual to seek the blessings of Goddess Attukal Devi for prosperity, happiness, and success in their families and personal lives.
The festival is considered one of the largest gatherings of women for a religious purpose, with participants travelling from Kerala and beyond. The temple and its surroundings are decorated with flowers and traditional ornaments, creating a vibrant and colourful atmosphere.
Music and dance performances add to the festive spirit, with the community coming together to celebrate faith and devotion. Actor and politician Gautami participated in this year's festival, adding to the significance of the event.
The festival fosters a strong sense of unity and togetherness among women from diverse backgrounds. Devotees believe that offering Pongala to the goddess will fulfil their wishes and bring peace and prosperity to their homes.
The festival's high point, the Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam event, takes place on the ninth day. A sweet delicacy called Pongala made of rice, jaggery, ghee, and coconut in earthen pots is offered to the goddess by thousands of ladies.
The Kuruthitharpanam sacrificial offering is performed at night on the tenth day to mark the festival's conclusion
According to Guinness World Records, the festival is the biggest yearly assembly of women. Presently, Attukal Pongala is attended by more than 40 lakh devotees. When 1.5 million women took part in Pongala on February 23, 1997, the ceremony was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records
