Attukal Pongala festival in Trivandrum, Kerala

Hindu women cooking pongala during the Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Festival in the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala, India, on February 19, 2019. The Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam Festival is celebrated by millions Hindu women each year. During this festival women prepare Pongala (rice cooked with jaggery, ghee, coconut as well as other ingredients) in the open in small pots to please the Goddess Kannaki. Pongala (which literally means to boil over) is a ritualistic offering of a sweet dish, consisting of rice porridge, sweet brown molasses, coconut gratings, nuts and raisins. It is done as an offering to Goddess Attukal Devi (popularly known as Attukal Amma) who is believed to fulfill the wishes of her devotees and provide prosperity.