Attukal Temple

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu shrine located at Attukal in Kerala, India. It is situated near the heart of the city, two kilometres away from the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, East Fort, in Thiruvananthapuram. The goddess of the temple is identified with Bhadrakali, mounted over a vetala. She is also identified with Kannagi, the heroine of Ilango Adigal's epic Cilappatikaram. The temple is renowned for the annual Attukal Pongal festival, in which over three million women participate. A festival that has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the single largest gathering of women for a religious activity, the Attukal Pongala continues to draw millions of women with each passing year. Devotees believe that all of their wishes are fulfilled by the goddess, whose worship can allow them to attain salvation. The goddess is often venerated as all three goddesses of the Tridevi: Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. According to legend, the Goddess (Bhagavathy) revealed herself to the head (Karanavar) of an ancient family known as the Mulluveettil family in Attukal. One day, while the Karanavar was bathing in the Killi River as part of his evening rituals, a radiant young girl appeared before him from the opposite bank of the river and requested him to help her cross to the other side.