Attending Kochi’s Famous Thrissur Pooram Festival

Elephant parades, fireworks, ritual art forms, and drum orchestras are what make Thrissur Pooram Kerala’s pride. One of the largest temple festivals, Thrissur Pooram is celebrated every year in Kerala when the moon rises with the pooram (Purva Phalguni) star in the Malayalam Calendar. One of the easiest ways to reach Thrissur is to book a car rental in Kochi. The 84 km distance can be easily covered in under 2 hours.

The history behind the celebration

While there is always a pooram happening somewhere in Kerala, the biggest celebrations are held in the month of April or May. Thrissur Pooram was first organized in 1798 by the Maharaja of Kochi, Raja Rama Varma. If folk tales are to be believed then due to heavy rains the temples in Thrissur were stranded and hence denied entry to the festival’s processions. Humiliated, the Maharaja decided to take matters in his own hands and organized a pooram exclusively for Thrissur. That is when the 10 temples of Thrissur came together - Paramekkavu, Thiruvambadi Kanimangalam, Karamucku, Laloor, Choorakottukara, Panamukkampally, Ayyanthole, Chembukkavu, and Neythilakavu.

Thrissur Pooram - the grand celebration

Like all festivals celebrated across the world, Thrissur Pooram is a grand spectacle that brings communities bring together. This 2-day festival allows people from different religions to be part of a celebration this grand and big.

 

At the festival, two groups compete against one another displaying the most lavish decorations and best performances. The extravagant elephant parade are the highlight of this festival. Only the best elephants from Kerala are sent to Thrissur to be part of parade. When these elephants come out on the main day standing beside each other, the view is nothing short of mesmerzing. Colourful costumes, these elephants make Thrissur Pooram more special.

 

During the festival, people can be seen dancing around the drums to the throbbing beats. One can also see the highly skilled artisans creating nettipattam which is a headdress created every year from the scratch. Another celebration that keeps the crowd cheering is the Kuddamattom. This competition usually involves the swift movement of colorful parasols. But what is impressive about this event is the fact that it is performed while sitting on an elephant’s back.

 

And finally the impressive fireworks at the end of the two day celebration makes people of Kerala eagerly wait for next year’s Thrissur Pooram festival. The best way to feel the vibe of the festival is to hire a car rental in Thrissur and visit all 10 festivals to see the preparations well in advance.