Attukal Bhagavathy Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is about 5 km away, according to Kerala Tourism.

• By train

  Thiruvananthapuram Central station is about 3 km away, according to Kerala Tourism.

• By road

  Thampanoor bus stand is about 2.1 km from the temple, according to the district tourism council. Padmanabhaswamy Temple in East Fort is about 2 km away.

Book and check

Official pages only. We do not sell darshan passes or tours.

• Book vazhipad offerings online (temple trust)booking.attukal.in
• About the Attukal Pongala (temple trust)attukal.org

Rules to know

• The Pongala offering is exclusively for women, as the trust and Kerala Tourism both state.
• On Vishu day, visitors can enter only after the Vishukani darshan has been offered to Devi.
• Women come the day before Pongala with rice, jaggery, coconut and firewood, and mark out their spot.
• In 2026 the authorities asked devotees not to set up hearths near railway stations.
• Pongala health advice in 2026 was to drink boiled water, wear thin cotton, and keep children away from stoves.

Why devotees come here

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Devi temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, about 2 km from Padmanabhaswamy Temple. It is called the Sabarimala of women for the Attukal Pongala, when lakhs of women cook an offering in the open. Darshan usually starts around 5 AM.

Attukal is a Bhagavathy temple in the middle of Thiruvananthapuram. The deity is worshipped as Bhadrakali, and the temple tradition also identifies her with Kannaki, the heroine of the Tamil epic Silappadikaram. The building mixes Tamil and Kerala styles of architecture.

The trust tells this story of its origin. The elder of the old Mulluveedu family was bathing in the Killi river when a bright young girl asked him to help her across. He took her home to welcome her, and she vanished. That night she came in a dream and asked for a shrine in the nearby sacred grove. Next morning he found three lines marked on the ground, and he installed the deity there.

Today the temple is known for the Attukal Pongala. Women boil rice with jaggery in earthen pots on open hearths, on roads and in the yards of homes all around the temple. The trust says the festival entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 and again in 2009, for 15 lakh and 25 lakh devotees.

Festivals

This year

• 14 Feb 2027Pongala Mahotsavam begins

  The festival runs to 23 Feb 2027.

• 22 Feb 2027Attukal Pongala

  Monday, the 9th day of the festival.

Every year

• During the Pongala festivalKuthiyottam

  Boys below 12 take part. On Pongala night a procession goes to Sree Dharmasastha Temple, about 1.5 km away.

• September or OctoberNavaratri and Vidyarambham

  On Vijayadashami, thousands of small children are started on their first letters.

• October or NovemberThulam Ayilyam

  A special Sarpabali pooja is held after the evening Deeparadhana.

Tips for your visit

• On Pongala day the roads within about 7 km of the temple turn into hearth space, so plan your travel well ahead.
• In 2026 traffic restrictions ran from 1 PM the day before Pongala until 8 PM on Pongala day.
• In 2026 the darshan time on Pongala day was announced as shorter than usual.
• Prasadam meals are served on the first of each Malayalam month, and on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• Padmanabhaswamy Temple in East Fort is about 2 km away, so many visitors see both in one outing.

Questions people ask