Introduction

About 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from Trivandrum city, Attukal Bhagavathy is an ancient temple dedicated to goddess Attukal worshipped as the Supreme Mother. The Supreme Mother, as the creator of all living beings and the mighty preserver as well as destroyer. Popularly referred to as the ‘Sabarimala for women’, the temple receives tens of thousands of devotees from across the country during the famous ‘Pongala Utsavam’. This beautiful old building is nestled on the banks of the Killi River, and is beautified with carvings of the various manifestations of the goddess as Mahishasuramardini, Kali, Rajeshwari and Parvathi with Lord Paramashiva. According to legend, the head of the Mulluveettil family dreamt of goddess Bhagavathi as a 12-year-girl near the Killi River. In the dream she demanded him to establish an abode for her in the nearby sacred ground of shrubs and herbs at a consecrated spot marked by three lines. If mythology is to be believed, Attukal Bhagavathy is the divinized form of Kannaki, an incarnation of Parvathi. As the story goes, after the destruction of the ancient city of Madurai, Kannaki left the city and headed to Kerala crossing Kanyakumari, and on the way to Kodungallur sojourned at Attukal.

The popular Pongala Utsavam (festival) is celebrated for ten days in February/March. At this time of the year, the temple comes alive in a brilliant burst of colors, what with a colorful procession of the image of the goddess carried around the temple. An interesting ritual attached to this ten-day-long festival is the offering of ‘Vilakkukettu’, huge structures made of pith decorated with colored papers and garlands. Some of them even look like miniature temples. Tender coconut frond and plantain leaf-stalks are also used in making these!

The ninth day of the utsavam called Pongala is regarded the most important and is marked by the arrival of women devotees in droves from different parts of Kerala as well as other states and prepare pongala – a sweet offering of rice, jaggery and coconut – in earthen pots. Soon after, the chief priest goes around blessing the devotees by sprinkling holy water and flower petals on them. It is on the concluding day that the deity is taken out in a procession to the Sastha or Ayyappa temple in suburban Manacaud, a few miles away. This procession, indeed, is quite a spectacle. Beautifully bedecked elephants, young girls with Thalappoli, young boys undertaking Kuthiyottam and Nadaswaram parties take to the streets followed by thousands of devotees. Along the way, the locals receive the goddess before their houses - a Kerala custom in which the traditional measuring container called ‘Para’ is decorated and filled with paddy as an offering to the deity.

Several other festivals are also celebrated with great fanfare here such as Vinayaka Chathurthi, Dusshera, Shivaratri and Karthika Deepam.

Special Attributes

The temple is popularly referred to as the 'Sabarimala for Women'.

Nuisance

Hawkers

Dressing restrictions

Dress appropriately. Avoid wearing short or revealing clothes.

Connectivity

Private taxi or auto-rickshaw from the city centre.

Enjoyed by

People who are religiously inclined

Exposure

You will mostly be indoors.

Avoidable Season

Open through the year

Facilities

Basic, plan accordingly

Things Not Allowed

No such restriction

Tip

Maintain decorum.

Type of site

Place of worship/Hindu temple