Last Saturday (February 19, 2011) myself and three other foreign tourists (all from Britain) attended what is called the world's biggest female gathering - Pongala. This once a year event really should be experienced. This was the second time I've gone and it is truly worth all the heat and smoke. Everyone is in a good mood and although there are thousands of women in the city without the noise, fumes and press of vehicular traffic Trivandrum seems like a totally different place.
Pongala, like so much of Indian life, is bursting with colour and energy. We started off at about 8:45 am by bus which got us within about 1 km of Trivandrum proper. We walked the rest of the way into the city and up MG Road to the Ayurvedic College (about 2.5 km from where the bus dropped us) and then turned around and walked back. The signal to light the fires underneath the pongala pots was given at about 10:45 am (relayed from the Attukal temple by walkie-talkie and loudspeaker) and within minutes great clouds of smoke began rising from the roadsides.
We were lucky to encounter a rickshaw driver with a big rickshaw (as he kept telling us) that was able to carry all four of us back to Kovalam Beach for a very reasonable 200 Rs (about $5 Canadian). We were back in the comfort of our cool, smoke-free hotel rooms by 1:30 pm. It was a great morning with lots of smiles and unforgettable images. Here are a few that I took.
Pongala, like so much of Indian life, is bursting with colour and energy. We started off at about 8:45 am by bus which got us within about 1 km of Trivandrum proper. We walked the rest of the way into the city and up MG Road to the Ayurvedic College (about 2.5 km from where the bus dropped us) and then turned around and walked back. The signal to light the fires underneath the pongala pots was given at about 10:45 am (relayed from the Attukal temple by walkie-talkie and loudspeaker) and within minutes great clouds of smoke began rising from the roadsides.
We were lucky to encounter a rickshaw driver with a big rickshaw (as he kept telling us) that was able to carry all four of us back to Kovalam Beach for a very reasonable 200 Rs (about $5 Canadian). We were back in the comfort of our cool, smoke-free hotel rooms by 1:30 pm. It was a great morning with lots of smiles and unforgettable images. Here are a few that I took.
 |
| Pongala Festival also overflows with vendors of all kinds of colourful items |
 |
| Every colour of the rainbow can be found at Pongala |
 |
| Hanuman (one of the Indian gods) |
 |
| A particularly pretty offering in front of one woman's pongala hearth |
 |
| The petrol station near the Kovalam bus platform |
 |
| This scene is repeated all over the city - attendance is somewhere between 1-2 million (yes million!) women |
 |
| So many smiles at Pongala |
 |
| Lighting the hearth on the signal from the temple |
 |
| Smoke begins to rise as the fires are lit |
 |
| Before the fires were lit |
 |
| The same narrow alley after the fires are lit - the heat was intense - I can't imagine cooking over these pots for a few minutes let alone for the 30-60 that it would take to finish preparing the pongala |
 |
| I don't know what this man was doing cooking pongala but it was a photo op I couldn't pass up |
 |
| Smoke rising over the city |
 |
| Various organizations offer free food for all those attending pongala |
