Kerala's biggest temple festival Thrissur Pooram is celebrated every year at Vadakkunnathan Temple in the city of Thrissur on the Pooram day. (The day when the moon rises with the Pooram star in the Malayalam Calendar month of Medam). It is the largest and most famous of all poorams in India.
Thrissur Pooram 2023 Date and time
| Pooram Event | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sample fireworks | April 28 2023 | Evening 7PM |
| Fire works Main | Sunday,April 30 2023 | Early Morning |
| Thrissur Pooram | Sunday , April 30 2023 | Evening 5 PM |
| Farewell | Monday , May 1 2023 | 12 Noon |
History
Thrissur Pooram was the brainchild of Rama Varma Kunhjippilla Thampuran, or Rama Varma IX, famously known as 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 1798 because of incessant rains, the temples from Thrissur were late for the Arattupuzha Pooram and were denied access to the Pooram procession. Feeling embarrassed and angered by the denial, the temple authorities raised the issue with Sakthan Thampuran.
This made him take the decision to unify the 10 temples situated around Vadakkunnathan Temple and organized the celebration of Thrissur Pooram as a mass festival. He invited temples with their deities to the city of Thrissur to pay obeisance to Lord Vadakkunnathan (Lord Siva), 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.
Participants
"Paramekkavu side" and "Thiruvambady side". These are headed by the principal participants, Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple at Thrissur Swaraj Round and Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple at Shoranur road.Thiruvambady side
- Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple
- Laloor Bhagavathy Temple
- Ayyanthole Sree Karthyayani Temple
- Nethilakkavu Bhagavathy Temple
Paramekkavu side
- Paramekkavu Bhagavathy Temple
- Chembukkavu Bhagavathy Temple
- Panamukkumpally Sastha Temple
- Choorakkottukavu Bhagavathy Temple
- Pookattikkara - Karamukku Bhagavathy Temple
- Kanimangalam Sastha temple.
The pooram officially begins from the event of flag hoisting
Fire works sample
The first round of pyrotechnics, known as Sample Vedikettu, happens on the fourth day after the flag hoisting of the Pooram. It is a one-hour show presented by Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms. Swaraj Round is venue for this fireworks and starts at 7:15 pm.Fire works Main
Display of caparisons
The golden elephant caparison (Nettipattam), elephant accoutrements (Chamayam), ornamental fan made of peacock feathers (Aalavattom), royal fan (Venchamarom), sacred bells and decorative umbrellas are prepared new by Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devawsoms separately. Paramekkavu Devaswom exhibits this at the Agrasala in Thrissur City, and the Thiruvambady Devaswom displays the caparisons at the Church Mission Society High School in Thrissur City on the fourth and fifth day before the Pooram.
One of the major events in Thrissur Pooram is "Madathil varavu", a panchavadhyam melam, participating more than 200 artists, with instruments such as thimila, madhalam, trumpet, cymbal and edakka. At 2:00pm, inside the vadakkumnathan temple starts the Ilanjithara melam is one of the central attractions of the pooram, consisting of drum, trumpets, pipe and cymbal.
The pooram has a good collection of elephants (more than 50) decorated with nettipattam (decorative golden headdress), strikingly crafted Kolam, decorative bells, and ornaments.
At the end of the pooram, after the Ilanjithara melam, both Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi groups enter the temple through the western gate, come out through the southern gate and array themselves face to face in distant places. The two groups in the presence of melam exchange colourful and crafted umbrellas competitively at the top of the elephants, called Kudamattom, which is the eye-catching attraction of the pooram.
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.
