Devotees will not be permitted to offer Pongala on the Attukal temple premises the Pongala day on Saturday, given the COVID-19 scenario, the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple Trust said on Wednesday.
The Pongala offering at the temple will be limited to the ‘Pandara Aduppu,’ the main hearth, which will be lit at 10.50 a.m.
Temple officials requested devotees to offer Pongala at their homes this year and not throng the temple premises for the purpose. The temple will not be deputing priests for sprinkling the holy water on hearths.
In limited way
The ‘Kuthiyottam’ ritual, annually attended by hundreds of boys, will be limited to the ‘Pandara Ottam’ by a single boy this time. The ‘Thalappoli’ ritual will be restricted to girls between the ages of 10 and 12, temple officials said.
The Pongala offering will be made on the ninth day of the annual temple festival, on Saturday. Temple tantri Thekkedath Kuzhikkattillathu Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad will hand over the flame from the sanctum sanctorum to melsanthi P. Easwaran Namboothiri. After lighting the Pongala hearths at the thidapally and the Valiya thidapally of the temple, the Pandara Aduppu will be lit at 10.50 a.m. The sanctification of the hearth will be held at 3.40 p.m.
Ezhunnellippu
The ‘Pandara Ottam’ ritual will be held at 7 p.m., and the ‘Purathezhunnellippu’ to the Sastha temple at Manacaud by 8 p.m. Given the circumstances this year, the temple has also decided to avoid ‘Parayeduppu,’ ‘Thatta Nivedyam’ and ‘Pushpabhishekam’ along the route.
This year’s festivities will conclude with the ‘Kappazhippu’ ritual at 9.15 p.m. on Sunday and the ‘Kuruthitharpanam’ at 1 a.m. on Monday.
