Explanation on Thrissur Pooram Festival

India is a land of celebrations. From north to south to east to west, there is no time in the year or place in the Indian subcontinent where festivals are not celebrated. Some of the famous festivals of India that are celebrated by all are Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas and many others. Though India has a lot of different types of festivals, there are still some festivals that are celebrated by a section or group of people or by a state in particular. Every state has its festival. Pooram festival in Kerala is a famous festival celebrated in Thrissur.

Thrissur Pooram Festival

Thrissur pooram festival is an annual temple festival celebrated in Thrissur in Kerala, India. Every year on the Pooram (pronounced [puam]) day, when the moon rises with the Pooram star in the Malayalam Calendar month of Medam, it is celebrated at the Vadakkunnathan (Shiva) Temple in Thrissur. It is India’s biggest and most well-known pooram. 

History of the Thrissur Festival

Rama Varma Kunhjippilla Thampuran, or Rama Varma IX, the Maharaja of Cochin (1790–1805), was the mastermind of the Thrissur pooram festival. The major temple celebration in Kerala before the establishment of Thrissur Pooram was the Arattupuzha Pooram, a one-day festival conducted in Arattupuzha. The temples of Thrissur and its environs were frequent participants. The temples from Thrissur were late for the Arattupuzha Pooram in 1798 due to continuous rains and were refused admission to the parade. The temple administrators discussed the issue with Sakthan Thampuran, feeling ashamed and enraged by the rejection. As a result, he decided to unite the ten temples in the Vadakkunnathan Temple area and arrange the Thrissur Pooram festival or the Pooram festival in Kerala, as a public event. Lord Vadakkunnathan (Lord Siva), the presiding god of the Vadakkunnathan Temple, was welcomed to the city of Thrissur with his deities to pay reverence to him. Everything utilised in the event is manufactured fresh from scratch every year, making it unique. The umbrellas and nettipattam are made by persons who have been given the task.

Cultural Influence

The Thrissur Pooram festival, despite being a Hindu festival, attracts people from all walks of life in Kerala. Several replicas of the festival are held both within and outside of Kerala. The  Pooram festival in Kerala is regarded as one of Asia’s most important. Tourists enjoy the beauty and traditions of this pooram, which has a significant presence on India’s tourism map. Thrissur has excellent rail and bus connections, which draws many international visitors to the gala. It’s thought to be a Deva gathering.

Resul Pookutty, an Oscar-nominated sound editor, and his team captured the sounds of the 36-hour celebrations in the film Oru Kadhai Sollatuma.

The Pooram Festival in Kerala

The pooram begins early in the morning with Kanimangalam sasthavu ezhunnellippu and is followed by the ezhunnellippu of the other six temples. “Madathil varavu,” a panchavadyam melam with more than 200 artists and instruments such as the thimila, madhalam, trumpet, cymbal, and edakka, is one of the major events in Thrissur Pooram. The Ilanjithara melam, which includes a drum, trumpets, pipe, and cymbal, begins at 2:00 p.m. inside the vadakkumnathan temple. More than 50 elephants are decorated with nettipattam (decorative golden headdress), strikingly crafted Kolam, decorative bells, and ornaments in the pooram. Both Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi groups enter the temple from the western gate, exit through the southern gate, and align themselves face to face in faraway places at the end of the pooram, following the Ilanjithara melam. In the presence of melam, the two groups compete by exchanging colourful and intricately designed umbrellas at the top of the elephants, known as Kudamattam, the program’s main feature. All poorams eventually come to a close in Nilapaduthara, near Vadakkunnathan Temple’s western gopuram.

The poorams secular nature is another distinguishing element. All religious communities actively engage in the celebration and play major roles. While the Muslim community creates the majority of the pandal works, the churches and their adherents provide the materials for the Kudamattom umbrellas. Keralites are highly proud of the peaceful coexistence of diverse religious groups in the region throughout history. The final day of the pooram is the seventh. “Pakal Pooram” is another name for it. The pooram is not just a festival but also a time of hospitality for the people of Thrissur. The final event during Swaraj Round is the Upacharam Cholli piriyal (farewell ceremony). To mark the completion of the Pooram celebrations, idols from Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple and Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple were transferred from the Swaraj Round to their respective temples. The celebration concludes with a fireworks display known as Pakal Vedikkettu.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, the Pooram festival is one of the most renowned festivals in the state. It has a huge significance in the minds and hearts of Kerala’s people. The historical significance of the same is also very important for the people of Kerala and also for India as a whole. This year, the Thrissur pooram festival of Kerala will be celebrated on the 10th of May, which is Tuesday of 2022. The kudamattam and famed pandi melam with the gifts of the most famous 10 elephants from Kerala, its traditions/beliefs are the key attractions of this pooram.