The
Thrissur pooram is an ancient grand celebration with roots that run
deep in the veins of Keralites. It is conducted in the Vadakunnathan
Temple grounds situated in the centre of Thrissur town called the
Swaraj Round. It is conducted every year on the day when the ‘pooram’
star rises in the sky in the Malayalam month of Medam, hence
the name. What makes this temple festival so famous is the unique
spectacular journey it takes us through. The event annually attracts
a tightly packed crowd of people from all over the world, to throng
the enchanting city of Thrissur. To
understand how this festival came into existence, a peep into the
history of Thrissur would be useful. Two centuries ago, the then
ruler of Cochin (of which Thrissur was part) decided to bring
together the temples surrounding the Vadakunnathan temple, and
organize a big festival to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva, the deity of
Vadakunnathan temple. The temples were divided into two groups –
West and East. The two groups would engage in a friendly competition
of visual treats involving colourful umbrellas and other props
exhibited on top of elephants, to the tune of a live orchestra of
drums and trumpets. To this day, the essence of the Thrissur pooram
has been maintained with the same ceremonies performed ever year with
unabating fervour.
The
festival starts 7 days before the main event, with flag hoisting
(Kodiyettam). This is witnessed by the ceremonial flag hoisting by
participating temples, to mark the beginning of festival.
Next,
on the fourth day after Kodiyettam, there is a sample fireworks
display in Swaraj Round, when people get to see a glimpse of the
varieties of firework displays to be used for the main thrissur pooram.
The
main trichur pooram is headed mainly by two temples, The Thiruvambady Temple
and the Paramekavu temple, representing respectively the West and
East groups initially formed by Shaktan Thampuran. Both temples are
hardly 500 m apart, and the temple grounds of the Vadakunathan temple
is the venue for the celebrative events performed by these two
groups.
Each
group lines up 15 tuskers (that makes 30 elephants in all), adorned
with gold-plated ornaments and glittering in glory. The two rows of
elephants from each group stand facing each other in the temple
grounds, with the thronging crowd in the middle. Each elephant is
decorated by a nettipattam, a golden- coloured ornament that adorns
the forehead of the elephant. Mahouts standing on the elephants
display props like the aalavattom (peacock feather fans),
venchamaram(royal fans), and painstakingly crafted umbrellas of
different colours. The umbrellas are displayed to the tune of the
ilangithara melam - the traditional orchestra using percussion and
wind instrument of drums, pipe, horn and cymbals performed by a group
of 300 people. This forms the largest live orchestra in the world,
and the pooram is the largest gathering in Asia. As the orchestra
reaches a crescendo each time, the umbrellas held by the mahouts are
switched with new ones in quick succession (called kudamattam). It is
quite a scene to watch all 15 umbrellas in a group come up at the
same time, with the mahouts spinning the umbrellas in unison, and in
an instant, these umbrellas go down to be replaced with a fresh new
colour. The roaring excitement each time the umbrellas are switched
is testimony to the mesmerizing power of this festival.
Not
to be missed is the magnificent firework display in the early wee
hours of the next morning. The fiery, benumbing fireworks literally
jolt the city to its roots. The grand patterns and designs that shoot
up into the dark night provide an unforgettable visual treat.
As
morning sets in, the two groups disperse in separate processions,
back to their own temples. In the end is a bidding of farewell, with
a miniature fireworks display in broad daylight. This event is called
pakal pooram (morning pooram).
Thus
ends one of the most magnificent festivals in Kerala, only to arrive
again the next year, bringing together the people of Kerala once
again in festive fervor. Such is the magical atmosphere created by
the orchestra, elephants and displays during this festival, that
Thrissur has been rightly called the cultural capital of Kerala.
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