In Thiruvananthapuram, on 3 March 2026, the streets around the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple transformed into a sea of clay pots and brick stoves. Lakhs of women gathered shoulder to shoulder along roads, courtyards and neighbourhood lanes, preparing a traditional offering in earthen pots. The air filled with the scent of jaggery, rice and coconut slowly simmering over open flames.
This is Attukal Pongala, one of Kerala’s most iconic festivals. But once the rituals end and the crowds disperse, the city faces a different challenge: managing the enormous volume of waste generated during the event.
Before: A city turns into a vast communal kitchen
Held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, Attukal Pongala is a ritual dedicated to the goddess Bhagavathy. Women cook a sweet offering made of rice, jaggery and coconut in earthen pots and present it to the deity.
The festival transforms the city into a vast communal kitchen, with makeshift brick hearths stretching across kilometres of roads and open spaces.
The festival transforms the city into a vast communal kitchen, with makeshift brick hearths stretching across kilometres of roads and open spaces. Photograph: (@nirmalharindran/X for The Hindu)
The scale of participation is extraordinary. In 2009, around 2.5 million women took part in the ritual on a single day, earning the festival a Guinness World Record as the largest annual gathering of women for a religious event.
After: A massive cleanup operation
Once the ritual concludes, however, the sprawling cooking setups leave behind a vast trail of bricks, ash, food residue, coconut husks and other debris scattered across the city’s roads and public spaces.
Municipal authorities had undertaken large-scale cleaning operations soon after the ritual. According to the city corporation, sanitation teams cleared more than 800 tonnes of waste from different parts of Thiruvananthapuram following the festival.
Municipal authorities had undertaken large-scale cleaning operations soon after the ritual. Photograph: (Albin Mathew/ The New Indian Express)
The city corporation shared that the cleanup was carried out efficiently with coordinated efforts by sanitation workers and civic teams.
One reality here remains clear: managing the aftermath of a festival that draws millions is no small task.
As Attukal Pongala concludes each year, the clay pots cool and the crowds disperse across Thiruvananthapuram’s streets. Soon after, sanitation teams move in to clear the remnants of the ritual, restoring the city’s roads and public spaces after a day that brings millions together.
