Year after year, the magnificence of Thrissur Pooram attracts people in their lakhs to come to witness this spectacular Hindu temple festival. Conducted in Thrissur, Kerala, it attracts tourists from both within the country as well as abroad to throng the temple grounds for a glimpse of the awe-inspiring grandeur of the celebrations.
The best temple elephants are displayed in an array, fully decked out in traditional finery and accompanied by rhythmic drum beats and various other musical instruments. The amazing firework displays at night are the best in the country and form an integral part of this temple festival.
The Thrissur Pooram is held at the Vadakunnathan temple grounds located within the sprawling acreage of the Swaraj Round, central to the Thrissur city. This large area can accommodate the lakhs of people participating in the event every year.
Here are some interesting facts about this captivating festival:
- Thrissur Pooram is a visual treat to the senses and offers dare-devil firework displays in accompaniment to the pulsating traditional drumbeats to get you all hyped up. With the festival getting more colorful every year, some consider it as air and noise pollution, but the stunning, high-energy displays attract even the naysayers!
- This seven-day long festival was initiated by Raja Rama Varma. It begins when the star sign ‘pooram’ is witnessed in the Malayalam month of ‘Medam’. As per tradition, the two main temples in the city – the Paramekkavu Devi temple and the Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna temple compete with one another in offering obeisance to Lord Shiva in the Vadakunnathan temple. Accordingly, they line up their grand fifteen-elephant teams and compete with one another.
- A grand display of fully-decorated elephants is one of the main highlights. They are decked out in specially created gold-threaded finery with decorative umbrellas and fans for the men sitting atop the elephants.
- These two teams of highly-trained men seated on the elephants compete in exchanging umbrellas and ‘Vencharams’ in rhythm with the changing drum beats, and their fluid grace and speed is a marvel to watch. The drum beats of the traditional ‘nadaswarams’ enhance the mood of this competition getting the spectators all hyped up and cheering. What’s best is that people from all communities and religions join in with this celebration.
The last day of the pooram is the most awaited when lakhs of people from around the city and country inundate Thrissur to get an experience of a lifetime! For those living in Thrissur however, it’s easy to revel in the magnificent spectacle of this festival each year.
