cooked in the pot consist of rice, green gram and milk. While cooking, the overflow of milk is particularly observed as it has significance to the householder. If the milk over flows on the right side of the pot, it is considered an auspicious augury. Sometimes, an image of Ganesha is crafted with cow-dung. This crafted Ganesha is then bedecked with arugampul (kind of grass), thumbai (white flowers) and avaram (yellow flowers). The pongal cooked in mud pots are placed on the floor where a Kolam is drawn and skirted with red sand. Then, pongal-rice along with turmeric, ginger, sugar cane, yellow garlands and a stick that is used to drive the bulls are also placed as offering to Ganesha. In some practices, Pongal is celebrated for three days with Kannum Pongal or Kannu Pongal observed concurrently with the Mattu Pongal. Sisters symbolically offer small part of the rice dishes prepared for the festival or coloured balls of cooked rice to crows and other birds such as sparrows, as a special prayer for the well-being of their brothers. While making this offering to crows, they call out with words in Tamil, ‘Kakai Ku Pudi, Kuruvi Ku Pudi’, which literally means "this rice ball is for the crow, this rice ball is for the sparrow." On the Mattu Pongal day, cattle are washed, their horns painted and decorated with shining metal caps. Multi-coloured beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around their necks. Turmeric and kumkum are also devotionally put on the foreheads of the cattle. The cow–keepers dressed in their regale sprinkle the cattle with saffron water with mango leaves with prayers to protect them from evil and shout the popular slogan of the festival, "பொங்கலோ பொங்கல்!" ("Pongaloo Pongal!"). This prayer is a special wish for the progressive prosperity and growth of the cattle population, with the blessings of Indra and Krishna (Gopala), who was a cowherd. Devotees pay their respect to cows by bending down, like praying in a temple, and touching their feet and foreheads, followed by an aarti (showing camphor flame to the object of praise) and offering the cattle prasad (food offering, in this case is called Sakkar Pongal – a delicacy cooked of rice, moong dal (green gram) with jaggery and dry fruits). The cattle are taken in a procession, attended by bands of music, through the village streets to a