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As lakhs of women converged on Thiruvananthapuram for the famed Attukal Pongala festival, Palayam which is located in the heart of the state capital city and is a modest but symbolically powerful junction, quietly reaffirmed Kerala’s culture of coexistence.
Within a few metres of one another stand the Palayam Juma Masjid, the St. Joseph's Cathedral and the Palayam Mahaganapathy Temple, a rare streetscape that has long embodied the city’s plural ethos.
At the spiritual centre of the festival is the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, popularly known today as the “Sabarimala for Women.”
Dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy, the temple is steeped in legend.
Folklore links the deity to Kannaki of the Tamil epic Silappathikaram, believed to have stopped at Attukal on her way to Kodungallur after avenging her husband’s injustice.
Over time, the shrine evolved into one of the largest congregations of women in the world, with Pongala, the ritual offering of sweet rice cooked in earthen pots entering the Guinness record books for mass participation.
An estimated over four million people take part in the event, that began on Tuesday morning and winds up around 3 pm.
Even as devotion defined the day, it was compassion that shaped Palayam’s response.
Ahead of last Friday prayers, the Imam of Palayam Juma Masjid called upon the faithful to extend wholehearted hospitality to the women and children arriving for Pongala, a message that resonated widely on social media as a testament to Kerala’s secular fabric.
Facilities for freshening up, resting spaces and drinking water were arranged at the mosque premises.
At the nearby St. Joseph’s Cathedral, arrangements for drinking water and resting spaces were made available.
Local collectives in Palayam prepared and distributed breakfast and lunch.
Across the city, various groups joined in by offering food, water, buttermilk, fruits and juices. In doing so, Palayam once again transformed the festival into a celebration not just of faith, but of shared humanity and social harmony.