India is land of diversity and its different regions have
customs and traditions which are very unique and hold a lot of significance.
The home of an ancient civilization it has traditions which have been carried
on for centuries. It is a land of gods and goddesses. God is worshipped not
only as the only absolute “one” omnipresent and omnipotent but also in
different and manifold manifestations and with different names, forms and
divine attributes. According to ancient puranas, Shiva and Shakti both were
worshipped. In India the female form of God has been worshipped with as much
devotion as the male form.
No wonder then that in one of the southern states of this
country we witness the largest congregation of women for a religious activity. In
fact this gathering has even entered into the Guinness Book of World records in
1997 and 2009.The certificate given by the Guinness Book of world record states
that: ‘The largest annual gathering of
women is achieved by 2.5 million women in an event organized by the Attukal
Bhagvathy temple in Kerala India on 10th March 2009’. A gathering
of 25 lakh women in one place. Isnt it amazing? The number is increasing every
year and has reached upto forty lakh in recent years.
The Attukal Bhagvathy
temple in Trivandrum is an ancient temple and is also known as the Sabarimala of Women because most of its
devotees are women. So much so that during the Pongala Mahotsavam men are
forbidden to enter the temple. Several legends are associated with this temple.
According to mythology, Attukal Bhagvathy is an incarnation of Kannaki who was
the heroine of the Tamil epic Chilapathikaran written by The Tamil poet Ilango
Adikal. Her husband was falsely accused of theft and beheaded by the king. Kannaki
cursed the city of Madurai and left the city. On her way to Kodungallur she took
a sojourn at Attukal. Kannaki is also
the incarnation of Bhagvathy hence Bhagvathy is the presiding diety of this
temple. Another story says that
‘Attukal devi’ is Bhadrakali, born from the third eye of Lord Shiva to kill the
demon king Daruka. Mother Bhadrakali is a form of Shakti (Mahakali) worshipped
mainly in Kerala. ‘Bhadra’ means good and ‘Kali’ means goddess of time. So
Bhadrakali is often referred as the goddess of prosperity, time and salvation.
Whatever be the origin, the
Goddess in the temple of Attukal is worshipped as the Supreme Mother, creator
of all living beings and the mighty preserver as well as destroyer of them all.
Pongala is a ten day long festival Oof this temple and commences
in the Karthika star in the Malayalam month of Makar-Kumbham which is February-March by the English Calendar. The
festival begins with Kappikettu
ceremony when the idol of Devi is adorned with Kappi or bangles.The ceremony is
accompanied by musical renderings of the story of Kodungallur Bhagvathy
annihilating the Pandyan king and symbolises the victory of good over evil. The
temples and the nearby area are decorated and bear a very festive look. The
musical offerings, bhajans and chanting of the various names of the goddess
continue for nine days. However it is on the 9th day, when the
Pooram Nakshatra coincides with full moon night that this festival reaches its
zenith. All roads in Trivandrum are lined with brick hearths and earthenware
pots. The area in a radius of five kms from the Attukal Bhagvathy temple is
treated as consecrated ground for this ritual and all houses, shops, commercial
establishments keep their doors open on this day for thr devotees. Women from
all over Kerala start converging to this temple in the very early morning hours
of the 9th day. One can see crowds and crowds of women carrying
earthen pots, jaggery, rice, coconut, firewood and going to their designated
places on the roadside to build hearths and
cook the Pongala or the sweet jaggery rice in the open, as an offering
to the goddess. They wear new saris called Pongala saris. For Pongala shops
keep saris for as low as Rs 75 so that even the poorest can afford to wear a
new sari for this ritual. The signal for lighting of the fire in the hearth is
given by the head priest of the temple at the auspicious time or muhurtam.
First the fire in the temple kitchen thadippaly
is lit by the chief priest. Then the hearth or the panadara aduppu prepared in the temple premises is lit by the co
priest to prepare the Ponagala. This is followed by a beating of drums and then
lakhs of brick hearths on the roadside of Trivandrum are ignited and women
prepare varieties of sweet rice as an offering to Attukalamma to bless them
with prosperity and fulfill their wishes. Of course no traffic movement is permitted
in the area around the temple that day and all schools, colleges, offices are
closed. No men are allowed entry into the consecrated grounds. The devotees do
not eat till the Goddess has been offered Pongala in the nivedyam ritual. This
can be sometimes around two pm in the afternoon. After the offering the priests
extinguish the fire in the temple hearths.This sanctified water is supplied to
all the devotees on the roadside to extinguish their hearths. Now the devotees
can go and distribute their Pongala to friends, neighbours, relatives and their
family members.
It is indeed an atmosphere of festivity but also of devotion
and faith. The women sitting on the sides of the roads, in new saris under the
scorching sun cooking on brick stoves with firewood and in earthen pots have a
prayer on their lips at all times. Their faith in the goddess is unflinching, pure
and absolute. They have lit the flames of faith and offered to the goddess her
favourite food.
Pongala also has two more rituals. One is the THALAPPOLI by young girls who make
offerings to the Goddess for health wealth and happiness.The other is Kothiyottam by boys under the age of twelve.They
are considered to be the wounded soldiers of the Goddess Mahishasur Mardini . The
boys have done a week long penance in
which they have to sleep on the mat, observe strict diet restrictions,stay in
the temple, perform 1008 prostrations before the deity in the morning and
evening. On the ninth day they perform the Kutthiyottam with the hope that the
Goddess will bless them with inner and outer beauty and health,wealth and
happiness.They accompany the Goddess when she goes in a divine procession to
the Sastha temple in Manacaud reaching there in the wee hours of the morning. After
a few rituals she comes back to Attukal and is welcomed with a “deeparadhanam”. The boys are delivered
of their penance in an orderly manner. The ten day festival ends with the
ceremonial removal of the Kappu and a sacrificial offering called “Kuruthi Tharpanam” at night.
Witnessing this unique festival and the faith of the women
devotees is a moving experience and representative of the diversity and
richness of our ancient heritage.It is a land where the continuity of our
heritage has been preserved.
