Attukal Pongala 2025: Attukal Pongala is an annual festival of fame in the city held at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. The Guinness World Records site showcases this festival as one that brings out the best of devotion, unity, and culture. In 2025, the festival starts on March 5 and runs up to the main Pongala on March 13.
Historical Significance -Attukal Pongala 2025
The festival venerates Goddess Bhagavathy, more affectionately known as Attukal Amma-a form of devotion. She is considered a reincarnation of Kannaki. A mythical character in the Malayalee imaginary world, much like Great Britain’s King Arthur, and also tied to martial arts. Devotees gather to propitiate her for the blessings of prosperity and general good health and well-being.
Festival Schedule and Key Rituals
The ten-day festival is replete with so many other rituals and ceremonies that still pull in millions of devotees.
- March 5, 2025: Kappukettu and Kudiyiruthu
It is on this day that the festival begins in the morning at 10:00 with the Kappukettu ceremony. The temple’s Nambudiri chief priest would put bangles on the deity’s hand as a ritual symbolic of the start of the festival. - March 7, 2025: Kuthiyottam
Around 9:15 am, the young boys start the Kuthiyottam, a ritual that involves offering terrible penances upon oneself.
- March 13, 2025: Main Pongala Day
- Main Pongala Day Aduppuvettu( Lighting of the Hearth): At 10:15 AM, the chief priest will light the main hearth in the temple, giving a signal to the devotees to start making the Pongala offering.
- Pongala Nivedyam (Offering): By 1:15PM, women will finish the cooking sweetened rice dish made of jaggery, coconut, plantain in earthen pots and offer it to the deity.
- Purathezhunnallathu Procession: At 11:15PM, an extravagant procession of cultural performances and traditional music takes place in celebration of the goddess’s journey.
- March 14, 2025: Kappazhikkal
Kappazhikkal The Kappazhikkal ritual concludes at 10:00 pm, completing the last segment of the festival’s major ceremonies. - March 15, 2025: Kuruthi Tharpanam
Kuruthi Tharpanam The final day is the Kuruthi Tharpanam at 1:00 AM that denotes the appeasement of the goddess and thanksgiving from the devotees.
Eco-Friendly Initiatives: Haritha Pongala
Over the past few years, an attempt has been made to consciously make it an environmentally sustainable festival. The 2025 festival continues that tradition with a “Haritha Pongala” initiative, which is under the guidance of the Kerala Suchitwa Mission.
- Plastic-Free Celebrations:Devotees will be requested to avoid packing in plastic and use cloth bags for offerings.
- Sustainable Cooking Practices: Participants will bring appropriate amounts of firewood and use eco-friendly materials.
- Waste Management: Proper segregation and disposal of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste shall be ensured with the provision of designated bins at different places within the temple complex.
- Reusable Utensils: Devotees will be advised to carry steel glasses and plates for personal use, thus reducing dependence on disposable items. Guidelines
Guidelines for Devotees
All this should be done in a festive and devotional manner, and some warnings include:
- Avoid Cooking Near Hazardous Areas: Do not cook near a petrol station and let it be near to avoid raising fire.
- Abstain from Alcohol: There will be no sale and consumption of alcohol in the Vellar ward from 6 PM on March 12 to 6 PM on March 13 during the festival.
- Maintain Cleanliness: Cleanliness needs to be maintained in the temple premises and its surroundings by not littering the wastes anywhere.
- Respect Rituals: Participate with a pure heart in the different rituals performed and do not do anything to hamper the sanctity of the festivals.
In summarization:
This is why Attukal Pongala 2025 is not just a religious festival but a time for faith, community spirit, and cultural identity. The festival is also one where, with millions of women celebrating together and keeping certain traditions alive, there is a sustainable and eco-friendly leading-in of practices to ensure that devotion and environmental protection are not only not at odds but can actually merge to create something beautiful.
