Detailed Information about Thrissur Pooram Festival & Its Importance

In India one will find a long list of the festivals that fill the Indian calendar to the limit and the main thing about these festivals is that the each of the festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm and energy. India is a vast country and one will find diversity as one moves from the northern tip of the country to the southernmost border, from the far western borders of Gujarat to the easternmost top of Arunachal Pradesh. The language and the customs differ very much thus resulting in a different practices and festivals coming up from each state of India. One such festival of India coming from the "God's own country-Kerala" is the Thrissur Pooram Festival. The Thrissur Pooram festival is major festival not only belonging to the state of Kerala but also a major celebration in the whole of South India.

Thrissur Pooram is celebrated in the month of the Medam according to the Malayalam calendar that corresponds to the time of the mid-April to mid-May according to the Gregorian calendar. The grandeur of the festival is such that UNESCO has described the festival as the most spectacular festival event on the planet and the remarks are almost sufficient to give an idea about the magnificence of the festival. The festival is usually hosted at the Thekkinkadu ground by the Vadakkunnathan temple which is situated on a hillock at Thrissur. The main event however is hosted by the two temples the Paramekkavu Bhagavathy and Thiruvambadi Bhagavathy temples and each of these temples represents the Hindu deity Parvati who is believed to be the wife of lord Vadakkunnathan or Lord Shiva. The celebrations reach a height due to the competitiveness between the two temples to get do more than the other. The festival is held for 36 hours counting from the time of the commencement of the festival on the first day with the beats of drum, trumpets, pipe and cymbal played by the more than 200 people at the same time.

The other 8 temples that lie in the surrounding area of the Vadakkunnathan Temple usually start the festivals and these temples are called Cheru Poorams meaning the little Poorams. Hundreds of the devotees from across the state and also from across India come to witness the splendid event. The event is characterized by the royal umbrella displaying and on top of the all the wonderful procession of the highly decorated elephants into the at the Paramekkavu Bhagavathy and Thiruvambadi Bhagavathy temples. The festival finally is ended with a spectacular display of the fireworks at both the temples mentioned above in front of the western gate of the Vadakkunnathan temple.

The festival is a wonderful example of the universal brotherhood in the hearts of the people of the most literate state of India where the Muslims and the Christians that are a part of the minor religion in the state come forward during the organization of the festival of Thrissur Pooram. The pandals for the festival are the craft works of the Muslim workers and the Christian missionary schools near the place remain closed for the mega event and the place is allotted to keep the elephants that participate in the festival.