Unlocking the Ancient Legends: Mythological Origins of Pongal Festival

Pongal, a tradition rooted in the history of Tamil Nadu for eons

People celebrate the festival for four days in the second week of January.

Starting with Boghi on day one
Day two: Pongal, the major festival
Three for Cows and Cattles: Mattu Pongal
Fourth is to venture out and visit all the tourist places; it is called Kannum Pongal

This festival mainly celebrates the harvest of rice and sugar cane

So it is a festival for farmers who cherish their harvest in the first month of the calendar.
Everyone celebrates this festival irrespective of their religion and it brings the entire state together.

But historically, the kings of Tamil Nadu were Hindu; hence the mythology has to be of that religion.

There goes the story of Lord Shiva advising Nandhi to go down to earth and visit the mortal beings; advising them to take an oil bath every day and to have one meal every month.

But Nandhi conveyed the opposite; advising them to eat every day and take an oil bath once a month.

This resulted in people consuming more food; and a shortage of crops for the mortal population.

This angered Shiva; he punished Nandhi, saying he must work with humans for eternity to produce more food.

And this is how cows became a major part of our agriculture according to the mythology.