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Home > Temples of Kerala > Ponkala festival Ponkala festivalPonkaala is the offering given by women to Sun or Devi. But of late it has become a famous offering in Devi temples either by the priest himself on payment by the devotee or by the women-folk themselves. This is prominent in the temples of South Kerala, particularly in Thiruvananthapuram district. The most important among them is that held at the Aattukal Devi temple (located at Thiruvayanthapuram) which has acclaimed the name as Ladies' Sabarimala. The festival at the temple falls on the pooram asterisk of Kumbham. Most of the Devi temples have this offering of which the prominent ones are those at Chakkulath-kaavu at Neerettupuram (Alappuzha . district) and Thozhuvancode, Udiyannur, Chettikulangara and pazhanchira all within the limits of Thiruvnanthapuram city. It is seen that in a small temple at Thozhukkal dedicated to Muppanthal Devi, Ponkaala is done almost every Tuesday where the lady-priest floods her body with the boiling liquid of ponkaala-nivedya. At that time the lady is posse sed with some super natural powers of the deity and blesses the devotees. (In some other parts of the state also similar instances are noticed).
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