In Kerala, the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram is about to witness one of the largest gathering of women in the world today, for the “Attukal Pongala”. The ritual had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day when 2.5 million took part in it. AIR correspondent reports, Attukal temple is also called the “women’s Sabarimala”. Lakhs of Women prepare the Pongala to appease their favorite deity,the Attukal Bhagavathy for the peace and prosperity of their family. In 'pongala’, devotees prepare a mix of rice, jaggery and scrapped coconut in pots in makeshift brick stoves by lining up on either side of the roads, around 20 km circumference of the shrine. With the authorities expecting a 40% increase in the number of devotees offering Pongala this year,after the pandemic, the government have made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the ritual. An important element of the Attukal Pongala is the secular element to it as the nearby mosques, temples and churches facilitate the ritual equally.
