Thrissur Pooram Festivals -
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Thrissur Pooram is the most colourful of all the temple festivals of Kerala. It is celebrated in Thrissur at Vadakkunnathan temple in the month of Medam (April). Situated on a hillock right in the centre of the city, the spaciously laid out temple attracts thousands of devotees and tourists around the world during the festival.
A pooram is defined as " a meeting point of all the arts", and this one in the town of Thrissur is considered to be the mother of all Pooram, a wonderfully diverse festival that is one of the year's cultural highlights in the state of Kerala.
Teej is essentially a women's festival. The colourful pooram festival is held in Thrissur at its fine vadakkumnathan temple. Processions of beautifully caparisoned elephants provide a magnificent spectacle. The festival is rounded off at night by dazzling firework displays. At the beginning of April, the people of Kerala begin their search for the best elephants in the state. Each temple in Kerala sends a procession of decorated elephants to Trichur to participate in the pooram festival.
The decorated elephant groups face each other while drums and nadaswaram create a crescendo of music. The festival ends with a spectacular display of fireworks.
Pooram is a magnificent spectacle with night long fireworks, colourful 'Kudamattom' (exchange of different types of parasols), the famous 'Elanjithara Melam' and a splendid elephant procession. The best elephants from the various temples in Kerala are send to Trichur to participate in the grand eight day Pooram Festival.
The celebration on the final day commences in the morning with a procession of fifteen elephants marching from Thiruvambadi temple nearby to the Vadukunnathan temple. The main elephant of the group carries the idol of Lord Krishna. At the same time another group of 15 elephants, will start from Paramekavu Bhagavathy temple. The leader of this group will carry the idol of the goddess. This group of thirty decorated elephants stand facing each other in two rows in the Tekkinkadu maidan, the venue of the festival while drums and Nadaswarams (a flute like instrument) create a crescendo of music.
The 'melam' includes around 80 drummers and many other artists who are experts in playing various instruments. In the afternoon around 2'0 clock a crescendo of music starts from the area under an Elanchi tree called the 'Elanchithara Melam' which lasts for three hours. The artists play in a competitive spirit. The atmosphere is filled with music and even the elephants seem to enjoy the music by shaking their ears along with the rhythm of the drums. Around evening, people carrying colourfully decorated umbrellas and 'Venchamaramas' (peacock-fan) take their place on top of the elephants and then the umbrella showing competition called the 'Kudamattom' begins. They will keep on inter changing the umbrellas and the fans aesthetically in perfect rhythm to the music. This event evokes considerable enthusiasm from the thousands of spectators. After this event, the elephants are taken back and the statues of Krishna and the goddess are returned to the temple. By night, the ground is lighted up with lamps. Early next morning at around 3' 0 Clock a spectacular display of fireworks begins which lasts for almost three hours. The display of fireworks is a competition between two parties representing the two divisions of Trichur, Paramekkavu and Tiruvuvampadi vying with each other to make their displays grander than the other. The festival terminates by afternoon.
Adhering to the medieval Peruvanam or Pooram tradition, the festival is confined to the temples of Devi (goddess) and Sastha (divine combination of Shiva and Vishnu) and ten other deities from the neighbouring temples pay obeisance to the presiding deity of Thrissur. The only spectator of the Pooram events is Lord Siva at the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple, situated in the heart of the town. Apart from Him the principle divine participants are Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi, close to the Vadakkunnathan temple. Also participating and known as 'Cherupooram' are the suburban temples at Kanimangalam, Karamukku, Choorakkattukara, Laloor, Ayyanthole, Neithilakkavu and Chembukkavu, Panamukkampilly, which takes the number of deities to 8. The sprawling Thekkinkadi maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan temple, is the main venue of the festival.
This festival was introduced by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Cochin State in the late eighteenth century and is now the most famous festival in Kerala with the largest fan following from all parts of the country.
The Pooram Festival is celebrated by two rival groups representing the two divisions of Thrissur Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi challenging and vowing to overshadow each other with a more magnificent display of fireworks. Each group is allowed to display a maximum of fifteen elephants. The parties keep no stone unturned to secure the best elephants in South India and the most artistic parasols, to adorn the elephants. The celebrations begin early in the morning and last till the break of dawn, the next day.
The procession of Thiruvambadi Pooram to the grounds of Vadakkumnatha Temple and back is not only important, but also quite enlivening with the marvelous and enchanting effect of the Panchavadyam, a combination of five percussion and wind instruments is to be felt and enjoyed.
Apart from the great elephant march and percussion and musical performance, the pooram festival is also well known for the magnificent display of fireworks. Fire works start in the early hours and the dazzling display last three to four hours.
A pooram is defined as " a meeting point of all the arts", and this one in the town of Thrissur is considered to be the mother of all Pooram, a wonderfully diverse festival that is one of the year's cultural highlights in the state of Kerala.
Teej is essentially a women's festival. The colourful pooram festival is held in Thrissur at its fine vadakkumnathan temple. Processions of beautifully caparisoned elephants provide a magnificent spectacle. The festival is rounded off at night by dazzling firework displays. At the beginning of April, the people of Kerala begin their search for the best elephants in the state. Each temple in Kerala sends a procession of decorated elephants to Trichur to participate in the pooram festival.
The decorated elephant groups face each other while drums and nadaswaram create a crescendo of music. The festival ends with a spectacular display of fireworks.
Pooram is a magnificent spectacle with night long fireworks, colourful 'Kudamattom' (exchange of different types of parasols), the famous 'Elanjithara Melam' and a splendid elephant procession. The best elephants from the various temples in Kerala are send to Trichur to participate in the grand eight day Pooram Festival.
The celebration on the final day commences in the morning with a procession of fifteen elephants marching from Thiruvambadi temple nearby to the Vadukunnathan temple. The main elephant of the group carries the idol of Lord Krishna. At the same time another group of 15 elephants, will start from Paramekavu Bhagavathy temple. The leader of this group will carry the idol of the goddess. This group of thirty decorated elephants stand facing each other in two rows in the Tekkinkadu maidan, the venue of the festival while drums and Nadaswarams (a flute like instrument) create a crescendo of music.
The 'melam' includes around 80 drummers and many other artists who are experts in playing various instruments. In the afternoon around 2'0 clock a crescendo of music starts from the area under an Elanchi tree called the 'Elanchithara Melam' which lasts for three hours. The artists play in a competitive spirit. The atmosphere is filled with music and even the elephants seem to enjoy the music by shaking their ears along with the rhythm of the drums. Around evening, people carrying colourfully decorated umbrellas and 'Venchamaramas' (peacock-fan) take their place on top of the elephants and then the umbrella showing competition called the 'Kudamattom' begins. They will keep on inter changing the umbrellas and the fans aesthetically in perfect rhythm to the music. This event evokes considerable enthusiasm from the thousands of spectators. After this event, the elephants are taken back and the statues of Krishna and the goddess are returned to the temple. By night, the ground is lighted up with lamps. Early next morning at around 3' 0 Clock a spectacular display of fireworks begins which lasts for almost three hours. The display of fireworks is a competition between two parties representing the two divisions of Trichur, Paramekkavu and Tiruvuvampadi vying with each other to make their displays grander than the other. The festival terminates by afternoon.
Adhering to the medieval Peruvanam or Pooram tradition, the festival is confined to the temples of Devi (goddess) and Sastha (divine combination of Shiva and Vishnu) and ten other deities from the neighbouring temples pay obeisance to the presiding deity of Thrissur. The only spectator of the Pooram events is Lord Siva at the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple, situated in the heart of the town. Apart from Him the principle divine participants are Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi, close to the Vadakkunnathan temple. Also participating and known as 'Cherupooram' are the suburban temples at Kanimangalam, Karamukku, Choorakkattukara, Laloor, Ayyanthole, Neithilakkavu and Chembukkavu, Panamukkampilly, which takes the number of deities to 8. The sprawling Thekkinkadi maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan temple, is the main venue of the festival.
This festival was introduced by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Cochin State in the late eighteenth century and is now the most famous festival in Kerala with the largest fan following from all parts of the country.
The Pooram Festival is celebrated by two rival groups representing the two divisions of Thrissur Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi challenging and vowing to overshadow each other with a more magnificent display of fireworks. Each group is allowed to display a maximum of fifteen elephants. The parties keep no stone unturned to secure the best elephants in South India and the most artistic parasols, to adorn the elephants. The celebrations begin early in the morning and last till the break of dawn, the next day.
The procession of Thiruvambadi Pooram to the grounds of Vadakkumnatha Temple and back is not only important, but also quite enlivening with the marvelous and enchanting effect of the Panchavadyam, a combination of five percussion and wind instruments is to be felt and enjoyed.
Apart from the great elephant march and percussion and musical performance, the pooram festival is also well known for the magnificent display of fireworks. Fire works start in the early hours and the dazzling display last three to four hours.
