Hundreds celebrate Pongal at Kuching’s Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple (Video)

KUCHING (Jan 15): The Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple on Jalan Ban Hock here came alive with music and festive cheer as hundreds of Hindu devotees gathered to celebrate the Pongal Festival.

Devotees arrived as early as dawn, with the temple adorned with sugarcane and mango leaves symbolising abundance and prosperity.

A traditional brick stove and clay pot were set up within the temple compound, drawing attention as preparations began for the cooking of ‘pongal’, a rice-based dish central to the harvest celebration.

Special prayers were led by temple priest Phuspharajan, followed by the ceremonial boiling of milk and cooking of rice in the clay pot.

As the milk bubbled up and overflowed from the pot, devotees broke into joyous chants of “Pongalo Pongal,” a traditional expression wishing prosperity and good future.

The sweet rice was first offered to the deities before being shared among devotees and visitors, reflecting the festival’s spirit of thanksgiving and sharing.

Pongal marks the beginning of the Tamil month of Thai and is celebrated as a harvest festival dedicated to farmers, nature and the Sun God.

The four-day celebration begins with Bhogi, symbolising renewal and the discarding of the old, followed by Mattu Pongal and Kanni Pongal, which honour cattle and women respectively.