Attukal Bhagavathy Temple – Thiruvananthapuram
April 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Pilgrimmage
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple – Thiruvananthapuram
The Attukal Bhagavati Temple is one of the ancient temples of South India. It is popularly known as “The Sabarimala of Women”, as women are the major portion of the devotees. The Goddess in Attukal temple is worshipped as the Supreme Mother who is the creator, the preserver and the destroyer of the world. The pilgrims who visit Thiruvananthapuram definitely visit this holy shrine. Mother Goddess has taken the personification of Bhagavati to annihilate the evil and protect the good in the world. The Pongala Mahotsavam is a special temple ritual here. Millions of devotees flock to the temple to pray before Mother Goddess to relieve themselves from agony and affliction.
The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The offering of Pongala is a special temple practice prevalent in the southern part of Kerala and some parts of Tamilnadu. It is a ten-day programme commencing on the Malayalam month of Makaram – Kumbham (February-March) and closing with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthiarpanam at night. On the ninth day of the festival the world famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place.
The entire area of about 5 kilometre radius around temple with premises of houses of people of all caste, creed and religion, open fields, roads, commercial institutions, premises of Government offices etc. emerges as a consecrated ground for observing Pongala rituals for lakhs of women devotees assembling from different parts of Kerala and outside. Women cook in the streets, where they prepare milk rice in small pots on earthen stoves. A priest comes and lights the first stove and then it is carried from one stove to another. The ceremony is exclusively confined to women folk and the enormous crowd, which gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day, really astonishing!
How to Reach:
Railway: From Thiruvanathapuram Central railway station, it is just 3 kms away.
Airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is 7 kms away.