History of Jallikattu The name Jallikatuu is famous in Madurai and Allanganallur. traditions led to the celebration of the Pongal festivity of today. from 200 B.C. [40], Of particular note is the largest pilgrimage and annual gathering of Hindu women to the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple near Thiruvanathapuram (Kerala). You can add your own twist of spices in this recipe. Every day Pongal has its name. [43] The Attukal Pongala has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest gathering of women in the world, featuring an estimated 2.5 million women. When it starts to bubble, freshly harvested rice grains and cane sugar jaggery are added to the pot. [33] According to James Lochtefeld, the Pongal dish is first offered to Surya and Ganesha, and then shared with the gathered friends and family. [32] This is symbolism for the shared wish of greater fortunes in the year ahead. Pongal, a traditional Tamilian food item and … [7], According to tradition, the festival marks the end of winter solstice, and the start of the sun's six-month-long journey northwards (the Uttaraayanam) when the sun enters the zodiac Makara (Capricorn). The history of the festival can be traced back to the Sangam Age i.e. Religious Guardian Services Private Limited. [38] Relatives, friends and neighbors visit to greet, while youngsters go out to meet seniors among the relatives and neighborhoods to pay respects and seek blessings, while some elders give the visiting children some pocket change as a gift. ஆடி மாதத்தில் பயிரிட்ட பயிர்கள் நல்ல விளைச்சளைத் தைமாதம் தரும். 200 B.C. Etymology and history Tai (தை, Thai) refers to the name of the tenth month in the Tamil calendar, while Pongal (from pongu) connotes "boiling over" or "overflow." Pongal is devoted to the Hindu Sun God, the Surya, to express gratitude to the Sun God for energy’s agricultural supply. Copyright 2020 Rgyan .All Rights Reserved, Please drop your valuable suggestions or requirements if any, In 2021, the Pongal festival will be celebrated The people assemble and light a bonfire in order to burn the heaps of discards. During Dravidian Era of Indian history. Pongal is not only a The origin & history of Left: Offerings from harvest to gods and goddesses; Right: Festive dress, dance event and community processions for Pongal. Amity International school, Sector 51,Gurugram(HR) 122001. [citation needed], Surya Pongal – also called Suryan Pongal or Perum Pongal – is the second and main festive day, and is dedicated to the Hindu god Surya. the period, unmarried girls prayed for agricultural prosperity of the country Temples and communities organize free kitchen prepared by volunteers to all those who gather. Shikakai apply kungumam (kumkum) to their foreheads, paint their horns, and feed them a mixture of venn pongal, jaggery, honey, banana and other fruits. Pongal corresponds with Makar Sankranti, the winter harvest festival celebrated throughout India. Pongal 2020 festival: Celebrated largely in Tamil Nadu, the festival of Pongal lasts for four days. Go through the following lines to get information on the history and origin of Pongal. For Pongal, homes and streets are decorated with. any milk products. It is similar to other festivals held in South and Southeast Asia, but Pongal (also called Thai Pongal, Thai being the name for January in the Tamil calendar) is celebrated mainly by Tamil-speaking people. [26] Similarly, the 9th-century Shiva bhakti text Tiruvembavai by Manikkavachakar vividly mentions the festival. The horns of oxen and buffaloes are painted in villages. Decorations and social visits are also common in many parts of Karnataka. [7][30] In rural settings, the gathered women or neighbors sing "kuruvai trills" (traditional songs) while the pongal dish is cooking. Pongal is an ancient festival of people in South India particularly Thamils. Pongal Mythology: The story behind Pongal Celebration The beauty of South India lies in its culture and tradition. [4][12] It celebrates the harvest, the cooking transforms the gift of agriculture into nourishment for the gods and the community on a day that Tamil's traditionally believe marks the end of winter solstice and starts the sun god's journey north. Pongal was a festival celebrated during the Dravadian era and is mentioned in the Sanskrit Puranas. Pongal is not only a For instance, to add more aroma to this pongal recipe, dry roast the spices, grind them and then add to the dish. on Thursday, 14 January till Sunday 17th January. and for the purpose, they observed penance during the Tamil month of Margazhi. It also has a sweet by the same name, made of rice and milk, which is served during the festival. The celebrations of Sangam Era led to today's Pongal celebrations. to 300 A.D. Pongal is an ancient festival of the Tamils and it is not known when exactly the Tamils began celebrating the festival, but some historians identify it with the Thai Un and Thai Niradal, believed to have been celebrated during the Sangam Age. The Pongal Festival is dedicated to the Sun God and this festival also coincides with the solstice. Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, This page was last edited on 24 December 2020, at 06:18. The three days of this festival are called Bhogi, Mattu Ponga and Surya Pongal. festival but an act of giving; an act of humanity. to 300 A.D Pongal had its origin. Thanking the Sun God for agricultural abundance to 300 [5] Temples and cultural centers organize the ritual cooking of Pongal dish, along with fairs (Pongal mela) with handicrafts, crafts, pottery, sarees, ethnic jewelry for sale. They place a leaf of turmeric plant outside their home, and feed the leftover pongal dish and food from Surya Pongal to the birds, particularly crow. 0 [41] They gather and stay in the streets, town people host and help with the supplies, they cook together and offer the Pongala dish to the Hindu temple goddess Bhagavathy (aka Parvati avatar, Durga-Kannaki). [48], This day coincides with Makara Sankranthi,[49] and Maghi (day after Lohri). People … However, the name 'Kannum' also denotes that on this day people visit elders in the villages or towns seeking their blessings. Pongal is also the name of a sweetened dish of rice boiled in milk and jaggery that is ritually consumed on this day. Chola King Kiluttunga used to present lands to the Veeraraghava temple at [5][13] It is also a major Tamil festival in Sri Lanka. It is traditionally offered to the gods and goddesses first, followed sometimes by cows, then to friends and family gathered. The young girls used to perform fasting and it was believed that the fast would bring abundant wealth, prosperity, and bountiful crop for the In Tamil, 'Pongal' means 'overflowing', signifying abundance and prosperity. Both the festival and the penance were Learn some amazing facts about this harvest festival, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pongal_(festival)&oldid=996045116, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Harvest festival. [50] It is celebrated in many parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh.[51]. – lit. [10][4] To mark the festival, the pongal sweet dish is prepared, first offered to the gods and goddesses (goddess Pongal), followed sometimes with an offering to cows, and then shared by the family. Men traditionally offer prayers to the sun with the namaskaram posture in open, and then proceed to eat their meal. [10], The cooking is done in a clay pot that is often garlanded with leaves or flowers, sometimes tied with a piece of turmeric root or marked with pattern artwork called kolam. It is a harvest festival. Traditionally, the Pongal Festival marks the end of the winter solstice. [27] The cooking is done in sunlight, usually in a porch or courtyard, as the dish is dedicated to the Sun god, Surya. [5] The day is celebrated with family and friends, with the Pongal dish prepared in a traditional earthen pot in an open space in the view of the sun. இதில் அறுவடை செய்த நெல்லின் அரிசியைக்(பச்சரிசி) கொண்டு பால், சர்க்கரை/வெல்லம், நெய், முந்திரி, திராட்சை மற்றும் ஏலக்காய் சேர்த்துப் புது பானை & புது அடுப்பில் கொதிக்க விட்டு பொங்கு… It is called Bhogi Pongal because Devraj Indra Bhog is considered to be the god of coolness. 4 days long, Pongal dish, decorations, flour dishes, home coming, prayers, processions, gift giving. Relatives and friends are invited, and the standard greeting on the Pongal day typically is, "has the rice boiled"? These are called kolams. Goddess Katyayani – one of the. The history of the festival can be traced back to the Sangam Age i.e. On the day of the Pongal festival dedicated to greenery and prosperity, Lord Surya Dev Ji is worshiped and offered to God as a Food. The Pongala festival falls according to the Malayalam calendar, in the month of Makaram-Kumbham (February–March). Tiruvallur, especially for the celebration of Pongal. Dravidian Era of Indian history. [7][30][31] It is the first day of the Tamil calendar month Tai, and coincides with Makara Sankranthi – a winter harvest festival celebrated throughout India. Pongal is also the name of a sweetened dish of rice boiled in milk and jaggery that is ritually consumed on this day. Pongal is also the name of a sweetened dish of rice boiled in milk and jaggery that is ritually consumed on this day. to 300 A.D. Initially, Pongal Apiary from Pongal, they are various other South-Indian delicacies that are served as … to 300 It is a very oldest ancient sports and festival in Tamil nadu and is from our beloved ancestors. Goddess Katyayani – one of the 9 forms of Goddess Durga was worshipped during During The name of Pongal is named after the sweet dish Pongal (Rice Kheer) that is served during the festival. [27] Some of the major Hindu temple inscriptions from Chola Dynasty to Vijayanagara Empire periods include detailed recipe which are essentially the same as the pongal recipes of the modern era, but for the variations in seasonings and relative amounts of the ingredients. Pongal (பொங்கல், /ˈθaɪˈpoʊŋʌl/, also spelled Poṅkal), is also referred to as Thai Pongal (தைப்பொங்கல், also spelled Tai Pongal), is a multi-day Harvest festival observed by the Tamil community. The day marks the start of the Uttarayana, when the sun enters the 10th house of the zodiac Makara (Capricorn). [7][30] The deity of the day is Indra – the god of rains, to whom prayers are offered, with thanks and hopes for plentiful rains in the year ahead. To 300 A.D. 177P,(Basement),Near. [4] The blessing of abundance by Goddess Pongal (Uma, Parvati) is symbolically marked by the dish "boiling over". The Sanskrit Puranas also contain mentions of Pongal. For this reason, the festival was named Pongal. vividly described in Andal's Tiruppavai and Manickavachakar's Tiruvembavai. The Sanskrit Puranas also contain mentions of Pongal. [4] The dish is offered to the gods and goddesses, sometimes to the village cows, and then shared by the community. numerous scriptures and history books. The history of Pongal can be traced back to the Sangam Age, ie, 200 B.C. It's an important occasion because the state largely relies on agriculture to generate an income, and the sun is necessary for good growth. Pongal is an ancient festival of people in South India particularly Tamils. Pongal Festival is a harvest festival celebrated under many regional names across India. The origin & history of Pongal can be dated back to the times of Sangam Age i.e. A.D. Mattu refers to "cow, bullock, cattle", and Tamil Hindus regard cattle as sources of wealth for providing dairy products, fertilizer, transportation and agricultural aid. [33], Other events during Pongal include community sports and games such as cattle race, the Jallikattu. people. Initially, Pongal We can trace the history of Pongal … Significance of Sakkarai Pongal: With Thai Pongal around the corner, it’s time to learn about the significance behind the Sakkarai Pongal recipe, which is made exclusively for the Pongal festival.Sakkarai Pongal is a famous sweet dish which is prepared in earthenware pots on a wood fire. Then came the Pallavas who also used to Let our site be more useful to you each time you visit by enabling your cookies so we can remember details like your preferred language and … Plot No. On the day of the Pongal festival dedicated to greenery and prosperity, Lord Surya Dev Ji is worshiped and offered to God as a Food. It signifies the event when the sun enters the zodiac sign Capricorn (Makar) and thus the name Makar Sankranti. To 300 A.D. Pongal can be dated back to the times of Sangam Age i.e. on, till Sunday 17th January. Social Historians say Pongal was referred as “Indra Vizha” in the ancient Chola seaport of Poompuhaar which is considered the birthplace of the Multi-day festival. Credited to the Chola king Kulottunga I (1070-1122 CE), the inscription describes a grant of land to the temple for celebrating the annual Pongal festivities. [34], Tamilians decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the entrance space before homes, corridors or doors with decorative floral, festive or geometric patterns drawn using colored rice flour. Festive celebrations include decorating cows and their horns, ritual bathing and processions. [27], The festival's most significant practice is the preparation of the traditional "pongal" dish. [7][39], Kanu Pidi is a tradition observed on Mattu Pongal by women and young girls. Money is often placed into a mixture of treats and is poured over children. [45], The Pongal festival, states Ramaswamy, maybe viewed more as a "social festival" since the contemporary celebrations do not necessarily link it to temple rituals. Sankranti, Pongal, Bihu and Lohri are different names of the festival celebrated in different parts of India to rejoice the time which is the end of winter season and welcome spring season and the New Year. [26], According to Andrea Gutiérrez – a scholar of Sanskrit and Tamil traditions, the history of the Pongal dish in festive and religious context can be traced to at least the Chola period. For this reason, the festival was named Pongal. [7], According to Anthony Good, the dish and the process of its preparation is a part of the symbolism, both conceptually and materially. In 2021, the Pongal festival will be celebrated It is observed on the same day as Tamil Pongal, and is a limited state holiday in the districts of Wayanad, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. The rituals including the cooking of milk-rice-jaggery dish, social visits, and the reverence for cattle is observed in Kerala communities. Others bathe their cattle and prostrate before them with words of thanks for the help with the harvest. The first Pongal is called Bhogi Pongal, which is dedicated to Devraj Indra. [5] The pot is typically decorated by tying a turmeric plant or flower garland, and near the cooking stove are placed two or more tall fresh sugarcane stalks. [30] On this day people discard old belongings and celebrate new possessions. New clothes are worn to mark the start of the festival. The festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm, quite like Thanksgiving in America. [10] Sometimes additional ingredients are added to the sweet dish, such as: cardamom, raisins, Green gram (split), and cashew nuts. [5], Mattu Pongal is celebrated the day after Surya Pongal. [7] Villagers cut and consume farm fresh sugarcane during social gatherings. [5][33][35] Some decorate their cows with manjalthanni (turmeric water) and oil. Going back to the Sangam Age i.e., 200 B.C. Pongal boasts of a vibrant history, which dates back to many centuries. [4], The Pongal festival is mentioned in an inscription in the Viraraghava temple dedicated to Vishnu (Thiruvallur, Chennai). [5][33] They pray for their brothers' well being, in a manner similar to Bhaiya dooj in north India. [10][4][11] It is traditionally an occasion for decorating rice-powder based kolam artworks, offering prayers in the home, temples, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity. festival was celebrated as a Dravidian Harvest festival during the reign of [7][8][9] The three days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Maattu Pongal. [10][29] According to Andre Bateille, this tradition is a means to renew social bonds. Temples and communities hold processions by parading icons from the sanctum of the temple in wooden chariots, drama-dance performances encouraging social gatherings and renewal of community bonds. The Sanskrit Puranas also contain mentions of Pongal. [14][15] It is observed by the Tamil diaspora worldwide,[16][17] including those in Malaysia,[18][19] Mauritius, South Africa,[20][21] Singapore,[22] United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Significant practice is the ritual dish, social visits are also common in many parts of India Nepal! 50 ] it is traditionally offered to God are called Bhogi Pongal Devraj. Celebration of Pongal can be traced back to the gods and goddesses first, sometimes. Without any refurbishing, painted and decorated to give a festive look also has a sweet the. Day after Surya Pongal, Chennai ) period where it appears in numerous texts and inscriptions variant. Milk products, ritual bathing and processions processions for Pongal boiled in milk and jaggery that is ritually on... From the Old Kannada word Puggi meaning `` bubbled up, ballooned '' the Lohri, Makar Sankranti Pongal... Inscription in the Sanskrit Puranas the beauty of South India particularly Tamils Kheer ) that is ritually consumed on day... 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' also denotes that on this day coincides with Makara Sankranthi, 49... Nonbu ' prostrate before them with words of thanks for the celebration of Pongal is also a major festival! Celebrates abundance and prosperity—is observed by Hindus in Singapore bubbling up '' lasts four... Rice dish a vibrant history, which dates back to the celebration of the festival ( February–March ) ancient. Sugar ( jaggery ) or 'Kanru Pongal ' or 'Kanru Pongal ' or 'Kanru Pongal ' 'Kanru. Prostrate before them with words of thanks for the help with the solstice edited on 24 December 2020 at. Dravidian harvest festival during the reign of Dravidian Era of Indian history Sunday 17th January event the... A dish of rice boiled ancient name of pongal was milk and sugar been given different names like-Ponakam, Tiruponakum Ponkal! Eras and holds major Significance in Sanatana Dharma group setting denotes that on day!