PHOTOS: A glimpse of Pongal festivities in India and Sri Lanka

A harvest festival celebrated in southern India, especially among the Tamil community, Pongal is observed at the start of the month Tai, according to the Tamil solar calendar. Much like Makar Sankranti, Pongal too is dedicated to the Hindu sun god, Surya. This year, Pongal falls between January 15 and January 18, according to the Gregorian calendar. Traditionally, the festival is named after Pongal, the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery.

Updated on: Jan 16, 2020 6:13 PM IST

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Women dance around a kolam drawing during Pongal festivities, at Tamil Nadu House, Chankyapuri in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

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Women prepare rice dishes meant as offerings to the Hindu Sun God as part of Pongal festivities, at Tamil Nadu House, Chankyapuri. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

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Women prepare rice dishes meant as offerings to the Hindu Sun God as part of Pongal festivities, at Tamil Nadu House. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

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Tamil devotees cook pongal during the Tamil harvest festival of Thai Pongal, a thanksgiving ceremony in which the farmers thank the spirits of nature, the sun and the farm animals for their assistance in providing a successful harvest, at a Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (REUTERS)

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Tamil devotees pray during the Tamil harvest festival of Thai Pongal, at a Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (REUTERS)