Have you ever heard of Thrissur Pooram, which is one of Kerala’s most spectacular temple festivals? This year, more than 10,000 people attended the Thrissur Pooram festival on Sunday, after the district administration lifted its ban on parading Kerala’s tallest elephant. Search the hashtag #ThrissurPooram, you can find numerous posts popping up to indicate that the heroic show stopper is none other than ‘Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran’, a 54-year-old celebrity elephant.
Thrissur Pooram marks a celebration of Kerala’s cultural diversity as Hindus, Christians, and Muslims participate together to enjoy the grandest temple festival held in the state. On this day, the tradition is that the Paramekkavu Devi temple, as well as the Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna temple, pay their obeisance to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the iconic Vadakunnathan temple at Thrissur. As part of the tradition, these two temples and ”elephant teams” compete with one another on the sixth day through elephant procession, fireworks, and stunning cultural representation.
The festival’s much anticipated Elanjithara Melam is considered to be the world’s largest live musical orchestra of percussionists. The evening glory belongs to the 30 majestically, caparisoned elephants that stand facing each other amidst the sea of humanity, The spectators go wild to the beat of traditional Kerala ‘Panchavadyam’, which is played as the eye-popping ‘umbrella changing’ ceremony of ‘Kudamattam’ is in full throttle.
The ‘Kudamattom’ is a dazzling, visual experience that is so majestic and in harmony with all the elements of Nature, surrounded by greenery, elephants, people and performed to live music and the of beating drums.
Are You Ready For #ThrissurPooram ????????❤ pic.twitter.com/WqmhNaDRb2
— Movie Planet (@MoviePlanet8) May 11, 2019
Thrissur is all set to welcome the gods and goddesses from the nearby shrines, and you too, dear traveler. Come, witness a grand spectacle of caparisoned elephants, fireworks and Panchavadyam; Kerala’s traditional musical ensemble. pic.twitter.com/UNxJCCPOYT
— Kerala Tourism (@KeralaTourism) May 12, 2019
Thrissur Pooram, the biggest festival of Kerala is around the corner. Here’s a video to jog your memory and help you plan in advance to be a part of this 36 hour-long celebration. pic.twitter.com/B0nPM677VZ
— Kerala Tourism (@KeralaTourism) May 3, 2019
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The Thrissur Pooram festival begins when the Malayalam star sign ”Pooram” falls in the Malayalam month known as ”medam”. It is believed that the Thrissur Pooram was begun by Sakthan Thampuran and that Pooram celebrations have spanned more than 200 years, according to popular belief. With each passing year, the Thrissur Pooram has become bigger and grander. It is also one of those rare festivals that foreigners also love to watch and enjoy despite the sea of humanity surrounding the area.
Suffice to say, it is no wonder that Thrissur Pooram is termed as the ‘festival of festivals.’ Even today, nothing comes close to watching the rows of majestic elephants standing together, the sounds of drums coming alive and the swift changing of eye-popping colorful umbrellas at one go.
