Thrissur Pooram - Cultural festival of Kerala
Thrissur Pooram is considered as the Mother of all Poorams. There are other poorams as well which are celebrated in Kerala. But the beauty of Thrissur pooram is a pleasure for both eyes and ears. It is the most colourful temple festivals of Kerala. It is celebrated in the month of Medom (April and May) of Malayalam calender at Vadakumnathan Temple. During this festival, the temple becomes an attraction for thousands of admirers and tourists from all over the world.
All the nearby temples of the neighbouring areas of Thrissur participate in the religious festival of Pooram to pay their tribute to Lord Vadakumnathan, the governing deity of Vadakumnathan Temple. A magnificent procession is organized around the temple premises followed by the music of Chenda Melam and Pancha Vadyam.
Upholding the traditional ancestry and religious legacy of the place, custom of Thrissur Pooram is celebrated with great enthusiasm and divine sanctity by the local indigenous population. A unique feature of this festival is the splendid procession of elephants, who are exceptionally decorated by the temple authorities with different colours, bells and clothes, all types of ornaments and nettipattam (head band). The beautifully colored umbrellas are used to protect the elephants from the scorching heat of the sun. The procession is accompanied with panchavadyam, an association of trumpets, drums, pipes and cymbal. The Thrissur Pooram draws several tourists from far and wide who are thrilled by the awesome ceremonial procession of elephants.
There are two rival groups in this festival which compete with each other- Paramekkavu and Tiruvuvampadi. Each group can display 15 elephants in this festival. These 30 elephants stand facing each other in two rows in the Tekkinkadu maidan. They make use of the most creative parasols to adorn their elephants. They also challenge each other during the fireworks session to entertain the crowd in the best possible way.
Fireworks are an essential part of all the poorams celebrated in Kerala. Thrissur Pooram becomes a sight worth seeing at night. A remarkable display of fireworks starts at night which continues for about 3-4 hours. Every year, a large amount of resources are devoted by these two groups to add something new to these fireworks.
The temple festival, Thrissur Pooram is observed by all religious groups. One of the prominent festivals of Thrissur, Pooram represents the glory and grandeur of the ancient place.
Thrissur Pooram 2018
Pooram begins at 15.06 p.m. on 25th April, 2018Pooram ends at 14.26 p.m. on 26th April, 2018
How to reach
Thrissur has access to the facilities of railways, airport and buses. But the best and easiest means of transport to reach there are the railways. The railway station is about 1km south-west of the town centre and just 350 meters from the temple premises.
Last Updated on April 5, 2018
