Chakkulathukavu pongala Today

Chakkulathukavu pongala on Monday

www.newindpress.com

ALAPPUZHA: The annual pongala festival at Chakkulathukavu Sri Bhagavathi temple, known as ‘women’s Sabarimala’, will be held on Monday.

Lakhs of people are expected to visit the temple at Neerettupuram in Kuttanad.

Chakkulathukavu, at the middle of the confluence of the Pampa and Manimala rivers, is famous for its pongala offering by women devotees.

Every year, the long line of pongala offering stretches up to Chengannur on MC Road.

Naripooja, the most important offering at the temple, will be held on December 22. The concept behind naripooja is worshipping woman as goddess.

The main festival at the temple will begin on Monday with ashtadravya Mahaganapathi homam at 4.30 am.

Radhakrishnan Namboothiri, mukhya karyadarsi of the temple, will light the pongala ‘aduppu’ at 9 am at the ‘pandara aduppu’ using the fire from the srikovil.

The fire will be brought to the ‘aduppu’ under the leadership of temple administrator Manikkuttan Namboothiri.

It will be followed by divya abhishekam and ucha deeparadhana.

Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will inaugurate the cultural meeting in the evening.

Thomas Chandy MLA will preside over the meeting. Radhakrishnan Namboothiri will deliver the blessings.

Pantrandu noyambu will be held from December 16 to December 27 at the temple.

According to temple development president K K Gopalakrishnan Nair and public relations officer Suresh Kavumbhagam, a health centre for devotees and special parking space have been provided.

The KSRTC will operate special services to the temple from Alappuzha, Chengannur and Thiruvalla.

The legend is that pongala nivedyam is jointly prepared by Chakkulathamma and devotees.

The devotees believe that the ‘darsanam’ after the alankara pooja will deliver them from all sins and grat them moksha.

Later, the ‘Karthika sthoopam’ erected at the temple will be set on fire as a custom.