Attukal Pongal: Sabarimala for Women

A broken love story, the devotion of a chaste woman, a tale of love and loss, and at last a wife’s agony at losing her husband, led to the establishment of a temple where women gather annually even today and celebrate Attukal Pongala.

Attukal Pongala; Source: Discovering India

Once upon a time, as the poem in Silappatikaram goes, a lovely couple lived in Puhar. Kovalan and Kannaki shared a fairy-tale romance. Yet, not all love stories are everlasting. Tragedy befell them when Madhavi entered Kovalan’s life, and he fell head over heels for her, neglecting his wife. However, nothing could dim the feelings of Kannaki, who loved her husband.

Kovalan leaves his wife and flees with Madhavi, spending all his fortunes on the courtesan. At last, when he is penniless, Madhavi leaves him to contemplate his mistakes. Drawn to guilt, he returns to his wife. Kannaki, still in love with him, gives her husband her golden anklet to sell and restart his life.

When he went to sell the anklet in the bazaar, he was arrested and immediately taken to the king. The anklet he was holding was mistaken for the queen’s anklet, recently stolen. The king did not hold any trial and beheaded Kovalan. Soon, the news reached Kannaki, who was only recently reunited with her husband. She became furious and went to the court of the king.

There she demanded a fair trial, asking for the anklet received from Kovalan, and broke it open. Rubies fell down from it, as opposed to the pearls from the queen’s anklet. The king’s fault was revealed, and he later committed suicide in shame of the injustice caused by him. She cursed the city of the king, Madurai, to burn to ashes as she left the place agitated.

From Madurai, she journeyed southwards to Attukal, where her physical being merged with the cosmic divine light. This is where the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple was built in honour of the Goddess Attukal Devi, a manifestation of Kannaki, believed to be an incarnation of Adi Parashakti. Attukal Devi, as she is presently called, is known to have protected the people of this region from a turbulent epidemic period.

Every year, the Attukal Pongala festival is celebrated here to honour the benevolence and power of the goddess. The celebration spans over ten days. On the ninth day, thousands of women gather to celebrate Pongal, connecting with Kannaki’s story of love, loss, and grief. In a visual of devotion and harmony, together they prepare a sweet dish made of rice called Pongala. This dish is offered to the goddess.

The head priest initiates the process of cooking by lighting a symbolic fire called Pandarayaduppu. The ritual is referred to as Kappukettu. Women assemble around this fire. They bring with them hearths, jaggery, rice, coconut, and other ingredients to prepare this divine dish. This preparation is not done in any kitchen but on the streets surrounding the temple. In a ritualistic and divine way, the city transforms into a kitchen when the aroma rises from the streets. This is symbolic of the spiritual connection that the divinity shares with the devotees.

Amidst the cooking, praying continues in the temple. The sounds of bhajans fill the streets, and the aroma of food is mixed with the fragrance of the incense burning in the temple. The spectacle holds within it the essence of faith.

In the evening, once the dishes are prepared in small hearths neatly lined outside the temple, the head priest comes out of the temple. He sprinkles holy water on the Pongala prepared by the women. Flowers fall from the sky as if they are falling from heaven. The ritual signifies that the goddess has accepted the divine offering of the thousands of women who have gathered here. The Pongala offering, once sanctified, becomes prasadam and is distributed among all as a blessing of the goddess.

Attukal Pongal is one of the most unique festivals in India where women of all ages, castes, and creeds gather and prepare a dish together. It is a testimony to the tradition and devotion of our country reflected in cultural practice. The fact that the celebration of Attukal Pongal is truly cherished in the country is reflected more in the Guinness World Record held by the festival for the largest annual gathering of women.