Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 Even with five new coronavirus cases being reported in Kerala, State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Sunday said that the famed Attukal Pongala temple festival will be held on Monday as per tradition.
The temple, located in the heart of the city, is dedicated to Attukal Bhagavathi, believed to be an incarnation of Kannaki, the central character of the Tamil epic "Silappathikaaram".
The Pongala cooking takes place on the penultimate day of the 10-day-long Attukal festival and is done by the women by sitting on the road that starts from the temple and extends to all other parts of the city.
"We cannot stop this festival being held. So we have decided to tell women that anyone who has recently come from any of the coronavirus-hit countries and those who have fever or cold, should stay away from the festival. They can do it from their homes or at the hotels that they stay," said Shailaja.
Given the publicity this festival has got over the years, all state, central and private offices along with banks in the capital district have a holiday on Monday.
The event in 2009 was listed in the Guinness World of Records for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day.
The most prestigious seat for cooking is in the temple compound where devotees cook the offering for the deity on makeshift brick stoves.
The rituals began around 10.20 a.m on Wednesday when the chief priest of the Attukal Bhagavathi Temple lit the makeshift stove with fire brought from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The fire was then passed on to the stoves of the women who had lined up on either side of the roads to cook their offering using rice, jaggery and coconut.
According to the traditions of this event, the women who take part in the Pongala festival have to be dressed in new clothes and every item used for cooking the 'divine' pongala has to be brand new.
According to the legend, Kannaki destroyed Madurai in Tamil Nadu after the king of Madurai wrongfully imposed the death penalty on her husband.
After that, Kannaki travelled to Kerala, where she rested for a while at Attukal and women are said to have cooked pongala to please her.
The festival begins around 10.30 a.m and concludes around 2.15 p.m. after the chief priest sprays the holy water on the offering.
Once this is done, followed by a prayer, the women pack their bags and make their way back.
This year, state-owned transport department is operating 500 extra services for the convenience of the devotees while Indian Railways made special arrangements for the travellers by operating seven special trains.
Various state government departments have made arrangements to see that festival goes off peacefully. Close to 5,000 police officers were on duty in the capital city, including 1,500 women police officers.
The organisers are assisted by the numerous clubs and other bodies, who set up numerous drinking water kiosks and supply free breakfast and lunch.
( With inputs from IANS )