Last Updated on January 17, 2021

Come April, and you can already smell the intoxicating sweetness of the mangoes and jackfruits. Rains are at least a couple of months away, and so is school. It is also the temple festival season in Kerala. Most of the temples, ranging from the small village deities to the larger ‘Devaswom’ (temple management) run ones, get busy celebrating their annual festivals in their own way. Thrissur Pooram, the mother of all temple festivals, can eclipse the pomp and pageantry of all these festivities put together.

The mother of all temple festivals - Thrissur Pooram
The mother of all temple festivals – Thrissur Pooram

Mother of all temple festivals – Thrissur Pooram

Scores of tourists from India and abroad are drawn in every year by this audio-visual spectacle of the Thrissur Pooram festival.

Vadakkumnathan Temple
Vadakkumnathan Temple

The elephants get busy too, ferried from one temple to another.

A few of the'not-so-busy' elephants... 
A few of the ‘not-so-busy’ elephants…

Elephants

Have you ever seen an elephant, all decked up,  with the golden ‘Nettipattam’ (caparison)?

...and the busier elephants
…and the busier elephants

Just imagine how a row of 15 elephants would look. Each with three men atop waving the ‘Aalavattom’ (peacock-feather fan), ‘Venchamaram’ (white gazelle-hair fan) and ‘Kuda’ (silver-sequinned parasols in all the imaginable hues and designs). The elephant in the middle carries the golden ‘Thidambu’ representing the deity.

All decked up
All decked up

The main festivities go on for 36 hours, just as it did 200 years ago when the Cochin Maharajah, Sree Sakthan Thampuran, first organized the festival.

Ready for the'Kudamattam' - in front of the Vadakkumnathan Temple
Ready for the ‘Kudamattam’ – in front of the Vadakkumnathan Temple

Temples

Ten temples take part in the festival. But the principal participants are the ‘Bhagawathys’ (deities) from the Thiruvambadi and the Paramekkavu temples.

Inside the Vadakkumnathan Temple
Inside the Vadakkumnathan Temple

These deities arrive at the Thekkinkadu ground in front of the Vadakkunnathan Temple, each accompanied by 15 gold caparisoned elephants to take blessings from the presiding deity, Lord Shiva.

Pradakshinam - Circumambulating the Vadakkumnathan Temple
Pradakshinam – Circumambulating the Vadakkumnathan Temple

And what is a festivity without some competition? The entourage of the visiting deities groups themselves into two factions – the Paramekkavu group and Thiruvambadi group.

Festive mood in front of the Paramekkavu Temple
Festive mood in front of the Paramekkavu Temple

Traditional percussion – Melam

The elephants and musicians representing the two temples face each other in front of the Vadakkumnathan Temple for the most spectacular change of colours, the ‘kudamattam’. While the traditional ‘melam’, an orchestra of percussion and wind instruments using the drums, cymbals, horn, pipe, led by a 300 member group, represented by each temple, reaches a crescendo, the mahouts change the brilliantly decorated parasols in quick succession.

Enjoying the traditional'melam'
Enjoying the traditional ‘melam’

Each change is accompanied by the thunderous applause of thousands of supporters who gather between the lines of elephants, on the surrounding buildings and treetops.

Hands going up with the beats
Hands going up with the beats

Fireworks – Vedikettu

The healthy competition between the two temples also covers the height of the elephants, the variety of the caparisons, the symphony of the orchestra, and finally, the sound and colours of the fireworks.

The sky lights up as an'amittu' goes up
The sky lights up as an ‘Amittu’ goes up

Just as visually appealing as the caparisoned elephants and equalling the delightful aural onslaught of the music ensemble is yet another mainstay of the Thrissur Pooram. The fiery, benumbing fireworks or the ‘Vedikkettu’, if you will.

You could choose to catch this magnificent display on the evening before in the form of the sample ‘Vedikkettu’ or in the wee hours of the morning after. Or better still and as done by most everyone else, on both occasions. However, we were lucky to catch the spectacle from the terrace of one of the taller buildings in the Swaraj Round.

Sky over Thrissur lit up with the fireworks
The sky over Thrissur lights up with the fireworks

The next day, both the temples arrange processions from the Vadakkunnathan Temple to their respective temples. But before that, there is the ‘Upacharam Cholli Piriyal’. The Bhagawathys pay respects to each other, bid farewell and promise to meet the next year.

The day after...awaiting next year's Thrissur Pooram
The day after…awaiting next year’s Thrissur Pooram

However, it is not just the Bhagawathys who will return next year. The hundreds and thousands of devotees and Pooram enthusiasts…and us.

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12 Comments

  1. Awesome blog. I’ve been planning to witness the Pooram for at least 4 years now. But everytime something comes up and I cannot make it. Hopefully next year.

    • Thanks Prashanth. If you have not witnessed this spectacular event yet, check out the next available opportunity … next year (2013), Thrissur Pooram falls on April 21st, Sunday.

  2. Anil Nambudiripad Reply

    photos & descriptions.. ellaam nannayi, iniyum pratheekshikkunnu…

  3. Came via Google courtesy the root bridges, crossed to Arunachal and was then surprised to see a once familiar face – Arun. (worked with him at Mid Day)
    Meanwhile, thanks for a load of wonderful travelogues!

  4. the stumbling images are very nice.
    eye catching and fulfilling the feels

    go on the photo journey with more enthusiasm

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