Pongala
Encyclopedia
Pongala is a Hindu
religious festival. The name 'Pongala' means 'to boil over' and refers to the ritualistic offering of porridge made of rice, sweet brown molasses, coconut gratings, nuts and raisins. Only women devotees are allowed to participate in this ritual.
Rice, coconut and jaggery
are brought by women devotees along with round earthen pots for cooking. Women participating in the Pongala squat on roads, bylanes, footpaths and shop fronts in a radius of several kilometres around the temple to cook the mixture of rice, jaggery and coconut in earthen pots that is offered to the goddess seeking divine blessings. The Chief Priest of the temple lights the main hearth from the divine fire inside the sanctum sanctorum. This fire is exchanged from one oven to another.
Devi is essentially the mother goddess of ancient people of Kerala
and Tamilnadu. In this part of India this concept is evolved from the deity 'Kottave' worshiped on the peak of 'Aiyramala'. During ancient times, the entire population from the nearby villages converge on this hill and they stay there during the entire festivities lasting for several days. During this time social cooking used to take place by the women which was considered to be holy and liked by the goddess. Such social cooking naturally strengthened the bonds between these villages. This custom is still continued in the form of Pongala offering. This is one side of the character of the goddess. She is also the deity who brings victory in wars and therefore the goddess is offered blood sacrifice as stated in Sangam
Literature. The word used for this is 'Kuruthi'. It means killing. The Tookaam ceremonies in some temples is a reminder of the ancient practice of blood sacrifice. This custom was modified later on to give Kuruthi to the deity by killing cocks, which however is not practiced now.
Pongala festival is mainly celebrated at Attukal Temple
, Puthiyakavu Bhagavathi Temple, Kovilvila Bhagavati Temple, Chakkulathukavu Temple
, Karikkakom Temple, Panekavu Bhagavati Shashtha Temple and Thazhoor Bhagavathy Kshetram
in Kerala
.
The annual Pongala festival of Attukal
Bhagavathi temple here, one of the world's biggest devotional congregations of women, has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records. The festival, which draws over 1.5 million women on a single day in March to perform the Pongala ritual, is getting mention in the Guinness book in the category of events attended by more than a million people.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religious festival. The name 'Pongala' means 'to boil over' and refers to the ritualistic offering of porridge made of rice, sweet brown molasses, coconut gratings, nuts and raisins. Only women devotees are allowed to participate in this ritual.
Rice, coconut and jaggery
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
are brought by women devotees along with round earthen pots for cooking. Women participating in the Pongala squat on roads, bylanes, footpaths and shop fronts in a radius of several kilometres around the temple to cook the mixture of rice, jaggery and coconut in earthen pots that is offered to the goddess seeking divine blessings. The Chief Priest of the temple lights the main hearth from the divine fire inside the sanctum sanctorum. This fire is exchanged from one oven to another.
Devi is essentially the mother goddess of ancient people of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and Tamilnadu. In this part of India this concept is evolved from the deity 'Kottave' worshiped on the peak of 'Aiyramala'. During ancient times, the entire population from the nearby villages converge on this hill and they stay there during the entire festivities lasting for several days. During this time social cooking used to take place by the women which was considered to be holy and liked by the goddess. Such social cooking naturally strengthened the bonds between these villages. This custom is still continued in the form of Pongala offering. This is one side of the character of the goddess. She is also the deity who brings victory in wars and therefore the goddess is offered blood sacrifice as stated in Sangam
Sangam
The Tamil Sangams were assemblies of Tamil scholars and poets that, according to traditional Tamil accounts, occurred in the remote past. Three assemblies are described...
Literature. The word used for this is 'Kuruthi'. It means killing. The Tookaam ceremonies in some temples is a reminder of the ancient practice of blood sacrifice. This custom was modified later on to give Kuruthi to the deity by killing cocks, which however is not practiced now.
Pongala festival is mainly celebrated at Attukal Temple
Attukal Temple
The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a shrine in Kerala, India. The temple is renowned for the annual Attukal Pongala festival, in which over a million women participate...
, Puthiyakavu Bhagavathi Temple, Kovilvila Bhagavati Temple, Chakkulathukavu Temple
Chakkulathukavu Temple
Chakkulathu Kavu is a Hindu temple, dedicated to goddess Durga. The temple is located in Neerattupuram, Thalavady panchayat, Alappuzha District, Kerala and is one of the most popular temples in the state....
, Karikkakom Temple, Panekavu Bhagavati Shashtha Temple and Thazhoor Bhagavathy Kshetram
Thazhoor Bhagavathy Kshetram
Thazhoor Bhagavathy Kshetram, is a 300-year-old Hindu temple on the banks of the Achankovil river in Vazhamuttom, Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. The Devi is the main deity here.....
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
The annual Pongala festival of Attukal
Attukal
Attukal is a Hindu pilgrimage centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It is situated about two kilometres to the south east from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram City....
Bhagavathi temple here, one of the world's biggest devotional congregations of women, has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records. The festival, which draws over 1.5 million women on a single day in March to perform the Pongala ritual, is getting mention in the Guinness book in the category of events attended by more than a million people.