The Attukal Pongala festival in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, began on a religiously fervent note at 9.45 a.m. on Tuesday (March 3, 2026). Tantri (chief priest) Thekkadath Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad signalled the start of the festivities by setting flame to the Pongala hearth inside the temple (Thidapally) around 9.15 a.m.
He ceremonially conveyed the ‘sacred flame’ from the hearth to Aneesh Namboodiri, the chief priest (Melsanthi) of the Attukal temple, who set the traditional hearth in front of the temple alight, as hundreds of devotees watched rapturously.
Hundreds of women from across Kerala and beyond have flocked to the state capital for the famous 'Attukal Pongala' festival on Tuesday.
In many parts of the city, devotees have begun lining the city roads and lanes with their brick hearths.#AttukalPongala, which witnesses… pic.twitter.com/vD07cz2dVj
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) March 3, 2026
