Attukal Bhagavathy Temple

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, one of the ancient temples of South India, is popularly described as Sabarimala of the Women, as women form the major portion of devotees. The temple has gained international attention since it was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as "the largest gathering of women in the world". The Goddess Kannaki (Parvathi) in the temple of Attukal is worshipped as the Supreme Mother, creator of all living beings and the mighty preserver as well as destroyer of them all. The pilgrims from all over the country, who visit Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple and worship the Lord, do not consider their visits complete without the visit to the shrine of the supreme Mother Attukalamma. Vishnumaya took the incarnation of Bhagavathy to annihilate the evil and protect the good in the world in the present Era namely Kaliyuga.

According to mythology, Attukal Bhagavathy is supposed to be the divinised form of Kannaki, the famous heroine of Chilapathikaram, written by Elenkovadikal, the Tamil Poet. Kannagi was married to Kovalan, son of a wealthy merchant. But Kovalan met a dancer and spent all his riches on her forgetting his wife. But after he was penniless, he went back to Kannagi. The only precious thing left to be sold was Kannagi's pair of anklets. They went with it to the king of Madurai to sell it. But an anklet was stolen from the Queen which looked similar to Kannagi's. When he tried to sell it, he was mistaken for the thief and beheaded by the king's soldiers.

Kannagi got infuriated when she heard the news and rushed to the King with the second pair of anklet. She broke one of the anklets and it contained rubies while the Queen's contained pearls. She cursed the city of Madurai and due to her chastity it came true. She attained salvation after the Goddess of the city appeared before her. Kannaki left the city and reached Kerala via Kanyakumari and on the way to Kodungalloor took a sojourn at Attukal. Kannaki is supposed to be the incarnation of Parvathy, the consort of Paramasiva. The all powerful and benign Attukal Bhagavathy reigns eternally supreme at Attukal and nurses devotees as a mother does her children. Thousands of devotees from far and near flock to the Temple to bend before the Goddess with awe and reverence to prostrate and redress their affliction and agony.

The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The offering of Pongala is a special temple practice prevalent in the southern part of Kerala and some parts of Tamilnadu. It is a ten-day programme commencing on the Karthika star of the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (February-March) and closing with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam at night. On the ninth day of the festival the world famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place. The entire area of about 5 kilometre radius around temple with premises of houses of people of all caste, creed and religion, open fields, roads, commercial institutions, premises of Government offices etc. emerges as a consecrated ground for observing Pongala rituals for lakhs of women devotees assembling from different parts of Kerala and outside. The ceremony is exclusively confined to women folk and the enormous crowd, which gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbhamela Festival of North India.
 
The hymns of the "Thottampattu" sung during the annual temple festival, are based on the story of Kannaki. Moreover, architectural depictions of Goddess Kannaki seen on the Gopuram temple substantiate this mythology.  Sri. Vidyadhiraja Chattambi Swamy, the well known saint of Kerala, found this temple premises ideal for his meditations.  And there are so many stories which prove the greatness of the Goddess and which attract thousands of devotees to the temple.

Incarnation of Goddess

India has ever been the holy land of gods and goddesses.  Since ages past, men and women kings and emperors, saints and sages here were worshipping the Lord not only as the omnipotent and absolute 'one' but also as the 'one' whose manifestations are varied and manifold and who possesses different names, forms and divine attributes.  Thus Almighty the Eternal God was worshipped in different forms such as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, and their consorts; representing specific divine attributes of the Lord.  Ancient puranas have described that Siva and Sakthi were simultaneously worshipped from the period of Aryans and Dravidians.  Vishnumaya took the incarnation of Bhagavathy to annihilate evil and protect the good in this world.  She grants every wish of Her devotees and resides in their hearts in multifarious forms.

Mythological Background
The story goes that the Goddess Bhagavathy revealed herself to a fervent devotee of a notable family  viz.  Mulluveettil family.  It is said that one evening a young girl appeared before the head of the family while he was performing his oblations in the Killi river and requested him to help her cross the river.  Impressed by her charismatic demeanor, the- old man bent before her with awe and reverence and not only helped her cross the river but took her to his house nearby.  Strangely enough, while the household members were amidst preparations for intending a warm welcome to the young girl, she vanished.  That very night the Goddess Bhagavathy appeared as an icon before the old man in his dream and demanded that he should establish an abode for her in the nearby sacred ground of shrubs and herbs (kavu), at a consecrated spot marked by three lines.  The next morning the old man went to the spot revealed to him in the dream and to his great surprise he did find three marks indented on the ground.  He lost no time in erecting a temple on this consecrated spot to house the Goddess.  Many years later, the building was renovated by the local devotees.  They also installed a beautiful and majestic icon of the Deity with four arms, bearing weapons of destruction in each, like spear, sword, skull, shield etc.  The consecration ceremony of this Exalted Being was performed by no less a person than the high priest of the Badarinath Temple.

Aesthetics of Architecture

Anyone visiting the Attukal temple is first struck by the beauty and charm of the temple architecture. The temple structure is a harmonious conglomeration of both Kerala and Tamil styles of architecture. The beautifully carved figures of Mahishasuramarddini, Goddess Kali, Rajarajeswari, Sree Parvathy with Lord Paramasiva and various other depictions of the Goddess in and around the temple are undoubtedly the work of a gifted artist. Equally well presented around the corridors surrounding the temple, are the depiction of various other Gods and the epic stories of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu viz., the "Desavathara". On either side of the elegant front gopura - are the icons based on the story of Goddess Kannaki. On the southern Gopura, the puranic story of "Dakshayaga" is depicted in sculptures. The decorated gate at the entrance of the temple is by itself an excellent example of architectural beauty.

There are two idols of the Goddess in the sanctum sanctorum. The original idol is preserved in all its pristine beauty covered in ornamental gold embedded with installed stones.

The second idol of the Goddess is installed besides the original one. Within the temple corridors are also installed carvings and sculptures of Lord Ganesan, the serpent God and Lord Shiva. At the centre of the Sanctum within the Sreekovil, at a consecrated spot is installed the idol of the Goddess Attukal Bhagavathy emanating light and lustre to all.

Attukal Pongala is the main festival of this temple. Millions of women gather every year in the month of Kumbham around this temple and prepare Pongala (rice cooked with jaggery, ghee, coconut as well as other ingredients) in the open in small pots to please the Goddess Kannaki. During the festival nearly five kilometres around the temple become covered with smoke from the 'aduppu's (temporary hearths made of 3 to 9 bricks). A holiday is declared in the city on that day. Tourists from other countries also participate in the Attukal Pongala.
[edit] Other Festivals

The other festivals in this temple are:

   1. Mandala Vratham - Festival in connection with the annual Utsavam of Sabarimala
   2. Vinayaka Chathurthi - Pooja to the Lord Ganapathy
   3. Pooja Vaypu - Identical to Dussera festival (Saraswathy Pooja and Vidyarambham)
   4. Sivarathri - Siva Pooja
   5. Karthika - Karthika Deepa
   6. Ayilya Pooja - Milk, flowers etc. offered to serpent God and special rites
   7. Aiswarya Pooia - On all full moon (Pournami) days
   8. Nirayum Puthariyum (Ramayana Parayanam) - During the month of Karkadakam
   9. Akhandanama Japam - 4th Sunday of every month

Divine Gold Lockets
Divine  Gold Lockets with the prathishta image of the Devi on one  side and the imprint of Sudarsana Chakra  on the other, are  now issued  to  the  devotees from  the temple  counter. This  moderately  priced  pendant,  which  can  be  worn by men, women and  children  of  all  ages,  at  all times, is a talisman  of  safety   and  prosperity.  Arrangement has also been made to send the lockets  by post.