In temple where women are barred entry, men make pongal to mark Sankranti season

ANANTAPUR:  The centuries-old tradition of only men offering pongal for the deity at the Sanjeevaraya Swamy temple in Thippayapalli in Pullampeta mandal in Kadapa district continued on Sunday.

No women entered the temple, but they worshipped the lord from outside, while all men from the village reached the temple and cooked pongal on the temple premises.

The long-held tradition is of men from every house making the pongal by separately lighting the fire on the Sunday a week before the Sankranti festival every year. The old tradition is named as Sanjeevaraya Swamy Pongallu.

This was the only temple where women are not allowed into the temple and they are not allowed to partake the pongal prepared by their husbands as offering mainly to Lord Sanjeevaraya Swamy.

Women can have darshan from outside the temple as per customs followed by the villagers for more than five centuries.