The Attukal Pongala festival in Thiruvananthapuram is set to break their own Guinness World Record for maximum women participants this year.
The Attukal PongalaΒ is a 10 day festival held at theΒ Attukal Bhagavathi temple, and this year from February 23 to March 3.Β In 2009, the festival set a world record for the most number of women participants but seeing last year’s turnout (35 lakh), they’ve entered again. This year the record is set to be shattered with an estimated 40 lakh female devotees from and around Kerala.
“We are expecting a record four million (40 lakh) women devotees. By now all vantage positions in and around the temple and the roads leading to it have been taken over by women,”Β said a temple official.Β The festivals popularity has risen to such an extent that even Christian and foreigner women take part in the festivities. Over 3500 policemen were deployed to handle the influx of women. The state government announced a half-day holiday on Monday and a full day holiday on Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram district while the Kerala assembly was given a two day break.
The main event on the first day is when the women prepare an offering of a sweet dish while sitting on the roads around the temple.Β The temple is a shrine for goddess Attukal Bhagavathi who is believed to be an incarnation of Kannaki, the central character of Tamil epic “Silappathikaaram”. The temple’s chief priest will also light a makeshift stove with fire brought from the sanctum sanctorum which is then passed on to the women busy cooking. Holy water from the temple is then sprayed by specially appointed priests, after which the women then pack up and return.
—–(Source : IBN Live)