Every year, Kerala’s largest temple festival, Thrissur Pooram, is celebrated with great pomp and fervour at Vadakkunnathan Temple in the city of Thrissur.
Following two years of Covid restrictions, the festival has returned to its original form, With grand processions displaying caparisoned elephants, magnificent parasols, and percussion music, showcasing Kerala’s cultural essence.
On Pooram day, when the moon rises with the Pooram star, Thrissur Pooram, the largest and most famous of all Poorams, is observed. This year’s Thrissur Pooram will be held
On May 10th.
On this day, various temples are invited to Thrissur to pay homage to Lord Vadakkunnathan at the Vadakkunnathan temple, with the highlight of the festival being a huge procession involving over 50 elephants decked out in gold.
Puja Muhurat
Pooram Nakshathram begins at 06:40 PM on May 10, 2022 and ends at 07:28 PM on May 11, 2022, according to drikpanchang.com.
History
The annual temple festival dates back over 200 years and was founded by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of Kochi, who invited ten temples to participate: Paramekkavu, Thiruvambadi Kanimangalam, Karamucku, Laloor, Choorakottukara, Panamukkampally, Ayyanthole, Chembukkavu, and Neythilakavu. Before the festival began, a one-day festival called Arattupuzha Pooram was held annually in Arattupuzha, with temples from all over Thrissur participating.
The temples from Thrissur, however, were denied access in 1798 because they were late for the celebrations due to incessant rains.
The temple authorities brought the matter to Sakthan Thampuran’s attention, and Thrissur Pooram was born.
Celebration
The pooram celebrations start a week early with flag hoisting and fireworks from the participating temples to signal the start of the festival. Another tradition is the Poora Vilambharam, in which an elephant with the idol of ‘Neithilakkavilamma’ atop it pushes open the south entrance gate of the Vadakkunnathan Temple, the venue for Thrissur Pooram.
Four days after the flag is hoisted, Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms put on a one-hour firework show called Sample Vedikettu.
Following that, caparisons are displayed
The pooram begins early in the morning, and one of the festival’s highlights is Madathil varavu, a panchavadhyam melam featuring more than 200 artists.
The main fireworks of the Thrissur Pooram are eagerly anticipated and take place early on the seventh day, drawing crowds from all over the country. This event takes place in Thrissur’s Thekkinkadu Maidan. On the seventh day, Thrissur Pooram concludes with a fireworks display known as Pakal Vedikkettu.
