<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Attukal Pongala, the annual festival of the Attukal Bhavatahy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, is always marked by communal harmony, this time the communal harmony message over the festival seems to be becoming more louder as it coincides with the row over the film <em>The Kerala Story 2 : Goes Beyond</em>.</p><p>It has been an usual scene in Thiruvananthapuram that mosques, churches as well as Muslim and Christian believers in the city open their premises and offer facilities to lakhs of women who converge around the temple to offer 'pongala' (sweet dishes) to the deity. </p>.'The real Kerala story' | Imam asks to open mosques for Attukal Pongala devotees, video goes viral.<p>This year's pongala festival is on Tuesday (March 3) and the state capital is already filled with women who have set up makeshift brick hearths on the streets around the temple, which often stretches to several kilometres.</p><p>A recent message by the Imam of Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram V P Suhaib Maulavi the other day urging mosques and Muslim families to open their premises and extend all possible help to the Attukal devotees went viral on social media platforms. Many had tagged it as the real Kerala story to counter the alleged communal narratives about the State through films and other social media campaigns with vested political interests.</p><p>The Attukal pongala festival also coincides with the holy month of Ramadan.</p><p>The pongala is the major event of the ten day annual festival of the temple. The pongala offering is on the ninth day of the festival. It is considered as one of the largest gatherings of women and had also attained Guinness world record in 2009. </p><p>Women cutting across age and social status converge around the temple and prepare sweet dishes with rice, jaggery and coconut as offerings for the temple. Even women from other states and countries too come down for offering the 'pongala'. All the hearths are lit by passing the fire from the temple in the morning and the rituals will end with sprinkling of holy water from the temple on the dishes by afternoon.</p><p>Over the last few years, many temples in the city are also making arrangements to offer the pongala around the temples. After the Covid-19, many devotees are also offering pongala at the premises of their homes.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Attukal Pongala, the annual festival of the Attukal Bhavatahy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, is always marked by communal harmony, this time the communal harmony message over the festival seems to be becoming more louder as it coincides with the row over the film <em>The Kerala Story 2 : Goes Beyond</em>.</p><p>It has been an usual scene in Thiruvananthapuram that mosques, churches as well as Muslim and Christian believers in the city open their premises and offer facilities to lakhs of women who converge around the temple to offer 'pongala' (sweet dishes) to the deity. </p>.'The real Kerala story' | Imam asks to open mosques for Attukal Pongala devotees, video goes viral.<p>This year's pongala festival is on Tuesday (March 3) and the state capital is already filled with women who have set up makeshift brick hearths on the streets around the temple, which often stretches to several kilometres.</p><p>A recent message by the Imam of Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram V P Suhaib Maulavi the other day urging mosques and Muslim families to open their premises and extend all possible help to the Attukal devotees went viral on social media platforms. Many had tagged it as the real Kerala story to counter the alleged communal narratives about the State through films and other social media campaigns with vested political interests.</p><p>The Attukal pongala festival also coincides with the holy month of Ramadan.</p><p>The pongala is the major event of the ten day annual festival of the temple. The pongala offering is on the ninth day of the festival. It is considered as one of the largest gatherings of women and had also attained Guinness world record in 2009. </p><p>Women cutting across age and social status converge around the temple and prepare sweet dishes with rice, jaggery and coconut as offerings for the temple. Even women from other states and countries too come down for offering the 'pongala'. All the hearths are lit by passing the fire from the temple in the morning and the rituals will end with sprinkling of holy water from the temple on the dishes by afternoon.</p><p>Over the last few years, many temples in the city are also making arrangements to offer the pongala around the temples. After the Covid-19, many devotees are also offering pongala at the premises of their homes.</p>