rituals for more than 2.5 million women devotees assembling from different parts of Kerala and outside. The ceremony is mostly confined to women folk even though men can also observe the rituals. On the same day evening, there will be a procession from the temple to Manacaud Sree Dharma Sastha Temple accompanied by Kuthiyottam boys, and various artists performing different kinds of folk art forms which makes the procession so colorful. The enormous crowd which gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbhamela Festival of North India. See also Attukal Temple Attukal Pongala Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple References Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram Culture of Thiruvananthapuram