Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, on Saturday belonged only to women. The city was thronged by lakhs of women devotees who had reached here from various parts of the country for the Pongala festival at the famous Attukal temple, also known as the "Women’s Sabarimala.''
The temple is located in the heart of the city. According to Hindu mythology, Attukal Bhagavathi is believed to be an incarnation of Kannaki, the central character of the Tamil epic "Silapathikaram".
All roads leading to Attukal for about 25 km stretch were lined up by women, mostly wearing traditional Kerala style saree, on either side as they cooked the offering of rice, jaggery and coconut in earthen pots. As the number of women attending Pongala touched record number this year, even suburb roads were occupied by the devotees.
One of the largest congregation of women in the world, Attukal Pongala had also found its way to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009.
"This year, we have had a record number of women as the number is expected to cross three million,’’ said Vijayan Nair, one of the volunteers at the temple, to THE WEEK.
According to him, this year’s Pongala is special as the state has been witnessing increasing instances of violence against women. "Pongala is all about women power. Women devotees always feel empowered after the festival. Hope this strength will give them the fire to fight against all atrocities against them, like Kannagi,’’ said Nair.
Legend has it that Kannaki destroyed Madurai in Tamil Nadu after the king of Madurai wrongfully imposed the death penalty on her husband. After that, Kannaki travelled to Kerala, where she rested for a while at Attukal. Women are cooking Pongala to please her.
Men are usually not allowed to be the part of the Pongala celebration, though there are a few exceptions.
"It is our festival. Just as women are not allowed in Sabarimala, men are not allowed here. This is our Sabarimala,’’ beamed Sarada Nair, a native of Sasthamangalam, despite the unbearable heat of the day.
The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala bans women in the age group of 10 to 50 from entering the shrine. The issue has been controversial in the recent times and the matter is now before the Supreme Court.
Sathi Pillai, a native of Kollam, has been attending Pongala for the fifteenth year.
"Once you start being a part of it, you cannot stop,’’ she said.
Women from neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and even Madhya Pradesh have reached Thiruvanathapuram for Pongala. Anticipating the rush, the Southern Railways had ensured six special Pongala trains this time, along with additional coaches to all Thiruvannathapuram-bound trains.
According to Vijayan Nair, even non-Hindu women are attending the festival.
``More than a Hindu festival, Pongala is the celebration of the power of women. Kannaki, whose valour and power are being celebrated in Pongala, is an inspiration to all women,’’ he said.
This year, the city is witnessing a green Pongala. There was no plastic as the temple authorities had given special instructions to the devotees not to litter any plastic around.
The rituals begin when the chief priest of the temple lit the makeshift stove with fire brought from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The temple fire is then passed on to the stoves of women, who were lined up on either side of the roads, to cook their offering.
The festival ends once the offering is cooked and the women depart, only to come back next year.
