THRISSURPOORAM Dear friends,
Today is Trichur pooram, and now I am watching the last item-Kudamattam in the TV.I thought today I may post a compiled information for iyers of other states anda few related to it. Most iyers of Kerala may be knowing all these information and they may ignore ifnecessary this posting. Fireworks is tomorrow morning. Hope an interesting reading. Gopalakrishnan 6-5-2025 Significance Largestpooram in Kerala Observances Kudamatam, Ilanjithara Melam, Madathil Varavu, fireworks Ezhunilappu Date Pooram Nakshatra in the MalayalamCalendar month of Medam The Thrissur Pooram is an annual Hindu temple festival heldin Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is held at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissurevery year on the Pooram day—the day when the moon rises with the Pooram starin the Malayalam Calendar month of Medam. It is the largest and most famous of all poorams in India.Thrissur pooram is also one of the largest festivals in Asia with more than 1million visitors.The Thrissur Pooram Exhibition is conducted over a period of40 to 50 days during the Thrissur Pooram. History Thrissur Pooram is the brainchild of late king SakthanThampuran, the Maharaja of Cochin (1790–1805). Before the start of ThrissurPooram, the largest temple festival in Kerala was the one-day festival held atAarattupuzha known as ArattupuzhaPooram. Temples in and around the city of Thrissur were regularparticipants in the Arattupuzha Pooram. In the year 1796 becauseof incessant rains, the temples from Thrissur Groups (Paramekkavu,Thiruvambadi, Chempukkavu, Karamukku, Lalur, Ayyanthol, Chakkulathukavu,Neythalakavu and Kanimangalam Temples) were late for the ArattupuzhaPooram and were denied access to the Pooram procession. Feeling embarrassed and angered by the denial, the bannedtemple groups complained to Sakthan Thampuran.He decided to challenge the ban by starting Thrissur Pooramon the Pooram day in the month of May in the same year as a mass festival. He invited temples with their deities to the city of Thrissurto pay obeisance to Vadakkunnathan (Shiva), the presiding deity of theVadakkunnathan Temple. Something unique about this festival is that everything used in the festival ismade fresh every year from scratch. There are people who are given theduty to craft the umbrellas and the nettipattam. Participants Sakthan Thampuran ordained the temples into two groups,namely "Paramekkavuside" and "Thiruvambadyside". These are headed by the principal participants,Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple at Thrissur Swaraj Round and Thiruvambadi SriKrishna Temple at Shoranur road. Western Group(Thiruvambady side) Thiruvambadi SriKrishna Temple, Laloor BhagavathyTemple, Ayyanthole Karthyayani Temple, Nethilakkavu Bhagavathy Temple. Eastern Group (Paramekkavuside) Paramekkavu BhagavathyTemple, Chembukkavu Bhagavathy Temple, Panamukkumpally Sastha Temple, Choorakkottukavu Bhagavathy Temple, Pookattikkara - Karamukku Bhagavathy Temple, Kanimangalam Sastha temple Location The Pooram is centered on the Vadakkunnathan Temple, with allthese temples sending their processions to pay obeisance to the Shiva, thepresiding deity of vadakkunatha temple. The Thampuran is believed to have chalked out the programand the main events of the Thrissur Pooram festival Flag Hoisting The pooram officially begins from the event of flag hoisting .Theflag hosting ceremony (Kodiyettam) begins seven days before Thrissur Pooram.All the participating temples of Thrissur Pooram are present for the ceremony,and there is a light fireworks to announce the commencement of the festival. Poora Vilambharam(Announcementto Public) Poora Vilambaram is a custom where the elephant pushes open the south entrance gate at 12PM of the Vadakkunnathan Temple, which hosts the Thrissur Pooram,with the idol of 'Neithilakkavilamma' atop it. Ernakulam Sivakumar hasceremoniously opened the thekke gopura nada (South Gate) of the Vadakkunnathantemple in the years 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and today in 2025. Anotherprominent elephant who has had the honour of opening the gate in the past isThechikottukavu Ramachandran. Display of fireworks(first round/Sample) The first round of pyrotechnics, known as Sample Vedikettu,happens on the fourth dayafter the flag hoisting of the Pooram. It is a one-hour showpresented by Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms. Swaraj Round is the venuefor this fireworks and starts at 7:15 pm. The display usually has innovativepatterns and varieties of fireworks. Even though there were several controversies,permission was granted to conduct Thrissur Pooram in 2017 Display of caparisons The golden elephant caparison (Nettipattam), elephantaccoutrements (Chamayam), ornamental fan made of peacock feathers (Aalavattom),royal fan (Venchamarom), sacred bells and decorative umbrellas are prepared newby Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devawsoms separately. Paramekkavu Devaswom exhibits this at the Agrasala inThrissur City, and the Thiruvambady Devaswom displays the caparisons at theChurch Mission Society High School in Thrissur City on the fourth and fifth daybefore the Pooram. In 2014 and 2015, itwas displayed in Kousthubham Hall at Shornur Road Main pooram The pooram starts at the time of Kanimangalam sasthavuezhunnellippu in the early morning and is followed by the ezhunnellippu ofother six temples. One of the major events in Thrissur Pooram is "Madathil varavu", a panchavadhyam concert, withartists numbering up to 40 members with instruments such as thimila, madhalam, trumpet, cymbaland edakka. At 2:00, inside the Vadakkumnathan Temple starts theIlanjithara melam is one of the central attractions of the pooram, consistingof drum, trumpets, pipe and cymbal. The playing type is called (Pandi Melam) The pooram has a good collection of elephants (more than 50)decorated with nettipattam (decorative golden headdress), strikingly craftedKolam, decorative bells, and ornaments. ( My note- This year 2025 only 30) Kudamattam Thrissur Pooram’s grandest moment unfolded with the iconicKudamattam ritual. Thirty caparisoned elephants — 15 each from the ParamekkavuBagavathi Temple and Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple stands face-to-face in ceremonial formation. Atop these majestic elephants, parasol bearers engaged in therapid display of Kudamattam, the rhythmic switching of vividly colouredornamental silk umbrellas. The spectacle was further elevated by the gleam ofnettipattams (golden forehead ornaments), the elegant flutter of venchamaram(fans made from peacock feathers), and the regal presence of muthukkuda(decorative umbrellas). My note- After initial exchange of decorative umbrellas fora number of times, in the recent years different type of idols is raised justlike umbrellas and again decorated umbrellas Display of fireworks(Main Round) Thrissur pooram main fireworks (vedikettu ) are well renownedall over the country. This amazing display of fireworks is held in the heart ofThrissur city, in ThekkinkaduMaidan. Thiruvambadi and Parmekavu are the main participants in thisevent. The main fireworks begin in the early morning of the seventh day. Most pooram enthusiasts stay up all night to get a betterview of the fireworks. People come from faraway places to watch this amazingdisplay of pyrotechnics. There are four majorfirework displays in Thrissur Pooram: the 'sample fireworks' on the day before the Pooram,the colourful sparklers that light up the sky (amittu) by both sides on thePooram evening after the Southward Descent, the most impressive event that markthe peak of Pooram celebrations in the early morning hours, and the final fireworks the following noon after the goddesses bid farewellto each other that mark the end of the pooram. Farewell ceremony The seventh day of the pooram is the last day. It is alsoknown as "Pakal Pooram".For the people of Thrissur, the pooram is not only a festival but also a timefor hospitality. Upacharam Cholli Piriyal (farewell ceremony) is the lastevent held at Swaraj Round. Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple and ParamekkavuBagavathi Temple idols were taken from the Swaraj Round to their respectivetemples to mark the end of the Pooram celebrations. The festival ends withdisplay of fireworks known as Pakal Vedikkettu. Security For the 2025 , this year Thrissur Pooram festival, a4,000-member Thrissur City Police team is deployed. The deployment includes not justlocal police but also specialised units such as the National Disaster ResponseForce (NDRF), Thunderbolt, and Urban Commandos. The number of closed-circuittelevision cameras installed throughout the city has increased from 250 to 350to aid in monitoring and crime prevention. Cultural influences Despite being a Hindu festival, the Thrissur Pooram isattended by different sections of Kerala society. Several replicas of the festivalare held in places in Kerala as well as outside the state. Importance of TrichurPooram Thrissur Pooram is considered one of the greatest gatheringsin Asia. It has an important place in the tourism map of India, as touristsenjoy the beauty and traditions of this pooram. Rail and bus connectivity isexcellent in Thrissur, which attracts many foreign tourists to the gala. It isconsidered as meeting of Devas Historical Context: The town of Thrissur itself is named after the VadakkumnathanTemple and Lord Shiva, with "Thrissur" meaning "Town with thename of Lord Shiva," according to thrissur.nic.in. The word"Pooram" means group or meeting. On this day many gods and goddesses from ten temples cometogether at the famous Vadakkumnathan Temple of Lord Shiva. Who is the main deityof Thrissur Pooram? The main God of Thrissur Pooram is Lord Shiva who isworshipped at the Vadakkumnathan Temple. The Pooram is centered on the Vadakkunnathan Temple, with all these temples sending theirprocessions to pay obeisance to the Shiva, the presiding deity. TheThampuran is believed to have chalked out the program and the main events ofthe Thrissur Pooram festival. Whether southern gateof the temple is opened only for Pooram festival? The southern gate (Thekke Gopuram) of the Sree VadakkunnathanTemple in Thrissur is typically opened only during the Thrissur Pooram festival and on Sivarathriday. The opening of this gate, particularly during the Pooram, isa ceremonial event that announces the commencement of the festival. A specificelephant, Ernakulam Sivakumar, has been traditionally chosen to push open thegate. Pooram Vilambaram: The ceremonial opening of the southern gate is part of thePooram Vilambaram, a traditional custom where an elephant (traditionallyErnakulam Sivakumar) pushes open the gate to signal the start of the Pooram. Symbolic Invitation: The opening of the gate is seen as a symbolic invitation toall the participating temples and deities to begin the festival. Sivarathri Day: Apart from the Pooram festival, the southern gate is alsoopened on the Sivarathri day. When was kudamattambecame part of the festival? Kudamattam, the exchange of beautifully decorated parasols,is a part of the Thrissur Pooram festival, which was started in 1798 by RajaRama Varma (Sakthan Thampuran). The festival itself, and therefore Kudamattam,has been celebrated for over 200 years. Thrissur is renowned for its colossal pooram festival held inthe Malayalam month of Medam (April-May). Thrissur Pooram is the most vibrantand spectacular temple festival of Kerala. The Kudamattam Ritual is one of themain attractions of the festival and devotees and spectators from all parts ofthe world throng to the pooram to see the caparisoned elephants and theirhandlers perform. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1886475960.1292666.1746540864120%40mail.yahoo.com.
