Thu Mar 13 12:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Thiruvananthapuram Gears Up for Grand Aattukaal Pongala Festival
**Thiruvananthapuram, March 12, 2025:** The capital city of Thiruvananthapuram is preparing for the grand Aattukaal Pongala festival, scheduled for March 13th. The main ceremony, the lighting of the sacred fire (Aduppuvett), will commence at 10:15 AM, following purification rituals at 9:45 AM. The festival, a significant event in the Hindu calendar, coincides with the Pooram star and full moon in the Kumbha month.
The lighting of the main fire will be a meticulously orchestrated ritual, beginning with the recitation of a specific part of the Kannaki Charitam (epic) by the traditional singers. The temple’s chief priest, V. Muraleedharan Namboodiri, will then receive the flame from the Srikovil (sanctum sanctorum) and transfer it to the main Pongala hearth in the presence of the Thanthri (head priest), Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathirippadu. This flame will then be used to light the large hearth and the Pandara hearth, from which devotees will light their own individual hearths.
The Pongala offering will take place at 1:15 PM, followed by the ceremonial piercing of children with a wooden stick (Kuthiyottu) at 7:45 PM. A procession carrying the deity to the Manakkad Dharma Sastha Temple will begin at 11:15 PM, returning at 5 AM the following day. The festival will conclude with the Kaappazhikkum ceremony at 10 PM and a final offering at 1 AM.
Clay pots, predominantly sourced from Muttaykkad, Thalakuulam, Chungankad, and Thazakkudi in Tamil Nadu, will be used for the Pongala offerings. These pots are considered auspicious and are often kept at home after the ceremony. Devotees offer varying quantities of Pongala, ranging from one to a hundred pots. Firewood and other materials are readily available at roadside markets, with some devotees also bringing their own from home. The preparation involves a preliminary offering to Lord Ganesha before setting up the hearths. Besides the main offering of sweet rice pudding (sharkara payasam), devotees will also prepare and offer around ten other dishes to the Goddess. The lighting of the Pandara hearth will be announced with the firing of firecrackers near the temple.
The Aattukaal Pongala festival marks a year-long wait for devotees, culminating in a day filled with prayers and offerings.
First Piper 