Kerala’s Attukal Pongala: Viral Image Highlights Communal Harmony (Image: surji_1431/instagram)

A striking image from Kerala has gone viral, showcasing a traditional Pongala hearth set up in front of the renowned Palayam Juma Masjid in Thiruvananthapuram. The scene has been widely shared as a testament to the state’s deep-rooted religious harmony.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of women, irrespective of caste or religion, gathered in the state capital to participate in the Attukal Pongala festival, offering their prayers to Attukal Amma. The event, considered the most significant ritual at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, is often referred to as the ‘Sabarimala of women.’

The ritual commenced at 10:15 am with the lighting of the Pandara Aduppu, the main hearth within the temple premises. The fire for the ceremony was taken from the sanctum sanctorum and lit in the presence of Chief Priest Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathirippadu and Melshanthi V. Muraleedharan Namboothiri.

Thousands of women set up Pongala hearths across a 12-km radius of the temple, preparing the sacred offering with rice, ghee, banana, jaggery, and coconut. The Attukal Pongala festival is observed on the ninth day of the temple’s ten-day annual celebrations.

The temple is dedicated to Kannaki, the legendary heroine of Ilango Adigal’s Tamil epic Silappadikaram, According to mythology, Kannaki cursed Madurai and its rulers after her husband was wrongfully executed. The festival remains a powerful symbol of devotion, tradition, and cultural unity in Kerala.