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Lakhs of devotees offer Pongala at Attukal

Photo: S. Mahinsha

RELIGIOUS FERVOUR: Women devotees offer Pongala near the Secretariat in the city on Friday. —

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an atmosphere charged with devotion, tens of thousands of women braved the scorching sun for hours to offer Pongala on Friday, marking the climax of the 10-day annual festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple here.

The ritual began at 10 a.m. when the priests lit the ceremonial hearths in the temple precincts.

The chanting of devotional hymns mixed with the sound of fireworks, ‘panchavadyam,’ ‘chendamelam’ and announcements over the public address system made the proceedings lively.

This provided a signal for devotees across the city to light their hearths in preparation for the ‘naivedyam,’ the ritual offering to the deity. A pall of smoke rose over the city.

According to police estimate, the number of women who offered Pongala was between 18 lakh and 22 lakh. From early morning onwards, devotees carrying earthen pots, metal utensils and bundles of firewood streamed into the city, creating traffic jams on all the roads.

The long line of hearths put up by the devotees extended from the Attukal temple to the LMS junction on the MG Road, Thampanoor, Killipalam, Karamana and both sides of the National Highway bypass from the Eenchakkal junction. A number of foreign nationals also turned up for the Pongala, some to participate in the event and others to witness the spectacle.

Mayor C. Jayan Babu; MLAs V. Sivankutty and V. Surendran Pillai, Director-General of Police Raman Srivastava, City Police Commissioner Ravada Chandrasekhar, actor Suresh Gopi and officials of the district administration were present on the temple premises.

By 3 p.m., priests carrying holy water fanned out in different directions from the temple to sanctify the offering made by devotees.

Government agencies, voluntary organisations and residents’ associations joined hands to provide assistance. The City Corporation, Kerala Water Authority and Revenue Department had made arrangements to supply drinking water to the devotees.

Medical teams set up temporary clinics and mobile hospitals to offer emergency assistance.

Several pilgrims who suffered sunstroke and minor burns from the hearths were rushed to hospital by ambulance. Fire tenders were deployed to prevent accidents. Youth clubs and voluntary agencies offered free meals, snacks and soft drinks.

The KSRTC operated special services from various places in the district. The Railways provided additional coaches and arranged more stops for trains to accommodate the rush of devotees returning after the Pongala.

A large contingent of police was deployed in the temple premises and the festival zone for crowd control and emergency assistance. NCC cadets and volunteers from social, political and religious organisations assisted the police. Hundreds of vehicles carrying devotees were caught in a massive traffic snarl for almost an hour in the evening as all the exit routes from the city were clogged. Police and volunteers laboured to clear the traffic.

The Thampanoor and East Fort areas were swamped by devotees scrambling to catch buses and trains.

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