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Attukal Pongala: A Celebration of Harmony and Inclusivity

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  We have a 10-day festival celebrated at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in the Indian state of Kerala. From the first day onwards, most ladies will be fasting. They prefer to eat vegetarian food during this period.  On the ninth day, there is a gathering of millions of women in the temple surroundings. This gathering is for preparing Pongala.  Pongala preparation and offering it to Attukalamma is dependent on devotion.  They prepare a divine food made of rice, jaggery, ghee, coconut, banana, cardamom, and raisins in earthen pots and offer it to the Attukal Amma (Goddess of the Temple). After the ritual called 'Aduppuvettu' at the temple, the Pongala preparation begins. It is the lighting of the pongala hearth (called Pandarayaduppu) placed inside the temple by the chief priest. This is the earliest Pongala festival in Kerala [1]. Attukal Temple Rituals After the Aduppuvettu of the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, women light the ritual fires to prepare the s