Thousands of women offer pongala at Attukal Bhagavathy temple
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Thousands of women from across Kerala and outside the state offered 'pongala' to the presiding deity of the Attukal Bhagavathy temple here on Tuesday, braving the hot weather and turning the state capital into a huge 'yagyashala'.
Women, of various ages and wearing caps or white shawls over their heads, were ready since last night with their makeshift brick stoves along the roads for several kms in the heart of the city.
The rituals began around 9.45 am when the chief priest lit the main stove (Pandara Aduppu) near the shrine, signaling the start of the annual event.
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As the drum beats and music signalled the lighting of the main stove near the shrine, the women, waiting on the roadsides and specifically designated areas for the ritual, lit their brick stoves and began preparing the 'pongala'.
The 'pongala' is cooked using rice, jaggery, and scraped coconut in fresh earthen or metal pots.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi, also participated in the ritual, the first time for her.
"This a very well-known festival. People all around the world know about it. It is a divine thing with women sitting together and making their offerings. I am making 'payasam'," she told a TV channel.
Union Minister of State for Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje also participated in the festival.
LDF ministers V Sivankutty, G R Anil and V N Vasavan, Congress MLA M Vincent, grand old party leader K Muraleedharan, BJP leader and former Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Thiruvananthapuram corporation Mayor V V Rajesh were among the political leaders present at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple to witness the ceremony.
Speaking to media, Vasavan said arrangements were made expecting a larger turnout than in previous years and everything worked out as planned.
"There will be no hassles in the return journey of the devotees. Steps have been taken to provide food, water and other facilites to ensure a smooth pilgrimage for the devotees," the minister said.
Chandrasekhar said he was proud and happy to see the festival's size and scale.
"This is Keralam, God's own country. We respect all religions. We all should celebrate all festivals, be it Attukal Pongala or Christmas, together irrespective of religion, that is our view," he told a channel.
Preparing 'pongala' is considered an auspicious all-women ritual as part of the annual festival of the Attukal temple here, popularly known as the "Women's Sabarimala."
The ceremony will conclude with the sprinkling of holy water by temple priests at an appointed time in the afternoon.
Extensive arrangements were made by the authorities to provide food, water and medical aid to the devotees.
The police, fire department and Railways have put in place arrangements, including restrictions on vehicular movement and parking, to ensure the festival is celebrated without any mishap or inconvenience to the general public.
The pongala festival marks the finale of the 10-day ritual at the shrine.
The festival begins with the "Kappukettu ceremony," featuring the musical rendition of the Goddess's story (Kannaki Charitam) by authorised families invoking the presence of Kodungallur Bhagavathy and the slaying of the Pandiyan King.
The nine-day recitation culminates in a dramatic moment marked by temple drums and devotees' chants, leading to the lighting of stoves for the Pongala offering, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
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.
As per local legend, the annual festival commemorates the hospitality accorded by women in the locality to Kannagi, the heroine of the Tamil epic 'Silappadhikaram', after she destroyed Madurai city to avenge the execution of her husband Kovalan, for wrongly branding him as "thief".
VIDEO | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Thousands of devotees participate in the Attukal Pongala festival at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 3, 2026
(Full video available on https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/nlhaJHiPgY
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
