The Thrissur Pooram Festival is an annual Hindu festival held in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is held at the Vadakkunnathan (Shiva) Temple in Thrissur every year on the Pooram (pronounced [puːɾam]) day—the day when the moon rises with the Pooram star in the Malayalam Calendar month of Medam (mid-April to mid-may). It is the largest and most famous of all poorams in India. Thrissur pooram is also one of the largest festivals in Asia with more than 1 million visitors. Thrissur, is the cultural capital of Kerala.
This year Festival will be held on 19th April 2024.
Pooram is one of the 27 nakshatras (stars) and has got significance due to its auspiciousness. Thrissur Pooram is basically an elephant procession between a huge assembly of people in rhythm with the display of fireworks. This festival lasts for three days.
Thrissur Pooram was the brainchild of Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of Cochin (1790–1805). Before the start of Thrissur Pooram, the largest temple festival in Kerala was the one-day festival held at Aarattupuzha known as Arattupuzha Pooram. Temples in and around the city of Thrissur were regular participants. In the year 1796 because of incessant rains, the temples from Thrissur Groups (Paramekkavu, Thiruvambadi, Chempukkavu, Karamukku, Lalur, Ayyanthol, Chakkulathukavu, Neythalakavu and Kanimangalam Temples) were late for the Arattupuzha Pooram and were denied access to the Pooram procession. Feeling embarrassed and angered by the denial, the banned temple groups complained to Sakthan Thampuran. He decided to challenge the ban by starting Thrissur Pooram on the Pooram day in the month of May in the same year as a mass festival. He invited temples with their deities to the city of Thrissur to pay obeisance to Vadakkunnathan (Shiva), the presiding deity of the Vadakkunnathan Temple. Something unique about this festival is that everything used in the festival is made fresh every year from scratch. There are people who are given the duty to craft the umbrellas and the nettipattam.
A resplendent festival celebrated with a grand display of caparisoned elephants, dazzling parasols, and percussion music, the Thrissur Pooram is a magnificent spectacle merging the spiritual and cultural essence of Kerala. These elephants are decorated with different colors, bells, and clothes with all types of ornaments and nettipattam (headbands) and are processed through the middle of the town before assembling at the thekkinkadu maidan. The big parasol is also a point of attraction to the people.
Flag Hoisting:
The pooram officially begins from the event of flag hoisting. The flag hosting ceremony (Kodiyettam) begins seven days before Thrissur Pooram.
Poora Vilambharam:
Poora Vilambaram is a custom where the elephant pushes open the south entrance gate of the Vadakkunnathan Temple, which hosts the Thrissur Pooram, with the idol of 'Neithilakkavilamma' top it.
Farewell ceremony:
The seventh day of the pooram is the last day. It is also known as "Pakal Pooram". For the people of Thrissur, the pooram is not only a festival but also a time for hospitality. Upacharam Cholli Piriyal (farewell ceremony) is the last event held at Swaraj Round. Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple and Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple idols were taken from the Swaraj Round to their respective temples to mark the end of the Pooram celebrations. The festival ends with display of fireworks known as Pakal Vedikkettu.
How to Reach the Temple :
This temple can be reached by
Disclaimer:
In Kerala, festival dates are decided in accordance with the Malayalam calendar and the local traditions and customs. We have calculated the festival dates based on these. But there can be changes in the dates according the customs and rituals associated with each place of worship. As such, these should be considered only as approximate dates and have to be confirmed with the local authorities.
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