Attukal Pongala is a famous ritualistic annual festival celebrated by the women folks at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Kerala. Attukal Pongala festival begins on Karthikakshatra in the Malayalam month Makaram or Kumbham, which usually falls in February or March, and is celebrated for 10 days. The festival concludes with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam at night. The world-famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place on the ninth day of the festival when millions of women devotees assemble on the open ground and prepare a sweet dish as an offering to the Goddess.
Attukal Pongala got its award for the largest annual gathering of women achieved by 2.5 million women in an event organised by Attukal Bhagavathy Temple Trust in Kerala, India, on 10th March 2009 in the Guinness Book of World Records