This year’s Pongala festival at the Chakkulathukavu Bhagvathi Temple at Neerattupuram in Alappuzha district of Kerala would be held on December 1. Lakhs of women would cook porridge in earthen pots on the premises of the temple, also known as the Sabarimala of women, to appease the reigning deity.

Lakhs of from various parts of the country, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, were expected to participate in the ritual, temple development committee president KK Gopalakrishan told reporters here on Friday.

The ritual would begin with chief priest Bhramasree Radhakrishnan Namboodiri lighting the main Pongala hearth with the fire brought from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Later, about 300 priests led by administrator Brahmasree Manikuttan Namboothiri would offer Pongala to the goddess in obeisance.

This year, devotees would offer Pongala on the temple premises and along all major roads in a 50-km radius, Gopalakrishnan said. Various other rituals, including Ashtaiswarya Deeparadana, temple cultural programmes and fireworks, also would be held after the event, he added