TEMPLE TRAIL: ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE

The coastal state of India has always been an exception to the Indian rule and a mix of contradictions. The state which elected the first Communist State in the country, has never reelected a party in the elections and has alternated between a Congress and a Left Ministry for decades now. It also has a well entrenched RSS network and an equally strong Muslim League. The interests of the Church, always finds an echo in the Kerala Congress with its roots firmly entrenched in the Central parts of the State. The State has however never faced religious riots of the kind seen in other parts of the country in the last few decades. A testimony to the unique social fabric of this place.

It enjoys the highest literacy rates and has probably the best quality of life index. It is also the most backward in terms of industrial development and survives on inward remittances of the millions who labor for relatively low wages in the Middle East and a few others who do slightly better in the United States and UK, thanks to the IT industry.


Female infanticide is almost unheard of here and adoption of the girl child is on par with that of the male. Female literacy is on par, if not better than that of the male. Enrolment of female students in professional courses is again reflecting a similar trend Employment figures also do not show any discrimination or skew. It is therefore not surprising that the Guiness Book of Records should list the ATTUKAL PONGALA in Trivandrum as one of the largest congregation of women for a festival or religious ritual. The Guiness Book of Record mentions a figure of 1.5 million devotees in 1997 and the figure is likely to be double the same according to volunteers. The serpentine queues that curve out from the temple premises now reach the Statue junction towards the northern side which is nearly 8 kilometres away!!


The Pongala festival held annually at the Attukal Devi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala is a ritual where women alone are allowed entry and permitted to participate. It is therefore called the “Streekalude Sabarimala” which means that it is the “Sabarimala for women”. For those who are not familiar, the Sabarimala Temple admits only men and women who are past 60 years of age and is a popular religious destination for millions of devotees.

At the Attukal Pongala it is interesting to see men do a role reversal and play a supportive role by providing help and support to their spouses, siblings and daughters by arranging transport and providing amenities on the outskirts of the temple premises. It is not an uncommon sight to see women being escorted back by the men and children after the strenuous ritual and there seem to be small groups involved, with a spirit of fraternity and a spirit of cooperation clearly discernible. In fact most houses near the temple keep pots of "sambaram" ( buttermilk) near the doorstep for devotees who may be thirsty and provide them access to the sanitation facilities in the house should it be requested by them even though they may be strangers from out of town. A spirit of common cause seems to bind everyone together for a day, it would seem. This festival cuts across caste barriers which is otherwise a bane of the Kerala Society. As the fame surrounding this event grows,so does the strength and intensity of belief it would seem. Women brave the scorching  summer of the "kumbha masam" (February-March) and wait patiently in the hot afternoon sun to light the pyre for the ponkala and the heat from the million fire stove makes the mercury climb a few inches. But the women seem undaunted by all this and complete the chore with devotion and with the firm belief that their prayers will be answered. These women are not illiterates steeped in superstitious rituals but include IPS officers, beauty queens who appear on international fora, rich businesswomen and film stars with millions in their bank accounts.

For those who rattle imaginary sabers and wage idiotic war with the theme of women are better than men and are discriminated and launch seminars and conferences, this little event in a corner of the world is a quiet reminder of how nature intended life to be, which is to do what comes naturally in a spirit of cooperation and devotion.



For details of this event and the temple, go to



http://www.attukal.org/pongala.htm


http://www.attukal.org/


http://www.onamfestival.org/attukal-pongala-festival.html

TEMPLE TRAIL: SOUTH INDIA - KERALA - SABARIMALA

 Sabarimala Temple in the Sabari Hills and the Ayyappa cult.
http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2010/01/one-pilgrimage-that-hindus-and-muslims.html

Mookambika Temple near Mangalore, South India

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The Mookambika Temple a temple dedicated to the female form of "Ambika" or Saraswathi is located near Mangalore in South India. Adi Shankara the philosopher saint who expounded Advaita, has been associated with this temple. The "Sarvanjapeedam" which is the "seat of knowledge" situated here.
Most families bring their offspring to this temple for the "Vidyarambham" or "initiation to knowledge". "Vidyarambham" is on the auspicious day of Vijaya Desmi which is after the Mahanavami on the last day of Navratri and occurs in September-October.