Pooram is one of the nakshatras or star in the Hindu panchangam

Panchangam

A panchāngam is a Hindu astrological almanac, which follows traditional Indian cosmology, and presents important astronomical data in tabulated form. It is sometimes spelled Pancanga, Panchanga, Panchaanga, or Panchānga, and is pronounced Panchānga...

. There are 27 Nakshatra

Nakshatra

Nakshatra is the term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology. A nakshatra is one of 27 sectors along the ecliptic...

s in the Hindu panchangam and a million or more temples in Kerala, and this combination creates numerous possibilities for auspicious occasions, with each temple having varying importance for the different stars. However, over the years, the pooram nakshatram has gained special significance in its association with temple festivals, mainly because of its association with Thrissur

Thrissur

This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...

. It has now taken on a different meaning all together, because of the huge congregation of people during the pooram festival in Thrissur.

Thrissur Pooram - Overview

Thrissur Pooram is called 'the pooram

Pooram

Pooram is an annual temple festival held in central Kerala after the summer harvest. Most pooram festivals have at least one ornately decorated elephant being paraded in the procession taken out of the temple precincts...

 of all poorams' (festival). It is the biggest of all poorams held in Kerala state. The Thrissur pooram, is celebrated every year in the month of Medam (mid-April to mid-may) as per the malayalam calendar

Malayalam calendar

Malayalam calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala, India. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE....

. While all poorams have a huge influence on surrounding neighborhoods and towns, few other festivals require their active involvement. Thrissur town plays host, for 36 hours from the wee hours of the pooram day, to one of the most largest collection of people and elephants. The richly decorated elephant, as seen during the Thrissur pooram, is now globally recognized, and its association with Kerala. On the pooram day, fifty (50) or more elephants pass through the very center of Thrissur town, the Vadakkunnathan temple. The main features of the pooram (festival) are these decorated elephants with their nettipattam (decorative golden headdress), beautifuliy crafted kolam, decorative bells and ornaments etc. Add to this is the panchavadyam

Panchavadyam

Panchavadyam, literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four -- timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka -- belong to the percussion category, while the fifth one, kombu, is a wind instrument.Much like any...

, the rhythmic beating of the drum, and what would be a cacophony otherwise is turned into an organized but spontaneous symphony. The fireworks display in the early hours of the next day, rival shows held anywhere in the world, without even using many of the modern and newer pyrotechnics.

Thrissur Pooram - Background & History

While India is considered to be between 5000 to 10000 years old, and many rituals, Hindu customs and festivals date back centuries, the Thrissur pooram is only about 200 or more years old. It was orchestrated by the then ruler of Cochin, Sakthan Thampuran

Sakthan Thampuran

Rama Varma Kunhjipilla Thampuran , or Rama Varma IX, popularly known as Sakthan Thampuran , was the ruler of Cochin. He was the King of Cochin and his palace was in Thrissur. Thrissur is the cultural capital of Kerala and Sakthan Thampuran is the very architect of Thrissur city. Thrissur Pooram was...

 or Raja Rama Varma, in 1798. Sakthan Thampuran, so known for his firm and decisive administration, decided to break tradition and create a venue for the temples belonging to his region to celebrate their pooram festival. Before the advent of Thrissur Pooram, the largest temple festival during summer in Thrissur thaluk was the one-day festival held at Arattupuzha

Arattupuzha

Arattupuzha is a village located in Thrissur district of Kerala in southern India, and is home to the annual Arattupuzha Pooram that stages the grand spectacle of scores of caparisoned elephants lined up in a row to the accompaniment of ethnic percussion concerts.- History :Located on the banks of...

, 12 km south of the city. Temples in and around Thrissur were regular participants of this religious exercise until they were denied entry by the chief of Peruvanam Gramam. The delay caused by the temples from Thrissur and Kuttanellur, was one of the reasons for denial. This caused the Thrissur Naduvazhi

Naduvazhi

Naduvazhi refers to landlords, chieftains and descendants of royal households in Kerala, India.-Function:Prior to the British reorganisation of the area now known as Kerala, it was divided into around ten feudal states. Each of these was governed by a rajah and was subdivided into organisational...

, the chief poojari of Vadakkunnathan, known as Yogadiripad and the Kuttanellur Naduvazhi started the pooram in Thrissur. This pooram started as an act of reprisal quickly lost its charm, after infighting between the two main Naduvazhis. It required the intervention of the ruler to get this right.

Sakthan Thampuran unified the 10 temples situated around Vadakkunnathan temple and organized the celebration of Thrissur Pooram as a mass festival. Sakthan Thampuran ordained these temples into two groups, Western group and Eastern group. The Western group as Thiruvambady consisting of Kanimangalam, Laloor, Ayyanthole, Nethilakkavu and the Thiruvambady temple, as the main one. The Eastern group called as Paramekkavu, consisting in addition to Paramekkavu temple, Karamukku, Chembukavu, Choorakottukavu and Panamukkamppilly. The pooram was to be centered around the Vadakkunnathan temple, with all these temples sending their poorams (the whole procession), to pay obeisance to the Shiva, the presiding deity. The Thampuran is believed to have chalked out the program and the main events of the Thrissur pooram festival. It is this historical background that determines the course of the pooram program and it is specifically the ruler's antipathy to the Brahmin aristocracy to open Thrissur pooram for the common man.

More details on Thrissur Pooram

Thrissur Pooram is celebrated at of the Vadakkunnathan Temple

Vadakkunnathan Temple

Vadakkunnathan Temple , also known as Thenkailasam and Vrishabhachalam, is an ancient Shiva temple located at the heart of Thrissur city. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture and has formidable gopurams on all four sides and also a Koothambalam. Mural paintings that...

, situated on a hillock (Thekkinkadu maidan

Thekkinkadu Maidan

Thekkinkadu Maidan is situated in the middle of Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. This hillock which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is oval shaped open ground in the centre of the Thrissur city which is under the custody of the Cochin Devaswom Board...

) in the centre of the city, on the Pooram day in the month of Medom (April–May). Processions of richly caparisoned elephants accompanied by percussion ensembles from various neighbouring temples culminate at the Vadakumnathan temple. The most impressive processions are those Thriuvambadi Bhagavathy from the Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple

Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple

Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple is one of the largest Krishna temples in Kerala. Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple is located in Thrissur in Kerala, South India and is considered to be over 1000 years old....

 and the Paramekkavu Bhagavathi from Paramekkavu

Paramekkavu

Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple is one of the largest Bagavathi temples in Kerala. Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple is located in Thrissur in Kerala, South India and is considered to be over 1000 years old...

 temple. The celebrations which last for over 36 hours includes parasol displays and firework shows.

Vadakkunnathan

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 is a mere spectator at this festival, lending its premises and grounds for the great event. The pooram (festival) is also well known for the magnificent display of fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

. Fire works start in the early hours and the dazzling display last three to four hours. The Pooram Festival is celebrated by two rival groups representing the two divisions of Thrissur Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi vying with each other in making the display of fireworks grander and more colourful. Each group is allowed to display a maximum of fifteen elephants and all efforts are made by each party to secure the best elephants in South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

 and the most artistic and colourful parasols, which are raised on the elephants during the display. Commencing in the early hours of the morning, the celebrations last till the break of dawn, the next day.

The marvelous as well as magical effect of the Panchavadyam

Panchavadyam

Panchavadyam, literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four -- timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka -- belong to the percussion category, while the fifth one, kombu, is a wind instrument.Much like any...

, a combination of five percussion and wind instruments is to be felt and enjoyed. Among the varieties of festivals celebrated in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, Thrissur Pooram is the most thunderous, spectacular and dazzling. There are three temples participating in the event. It is an expression of popular fascination for sound and colour, and because of the pageantry, it appeals to all people. The images of the deities from all temples of the village are taken on elephants to the main temple. The climax of the festival is the exhibition of thirty elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

s and the famous fireworks at 2.30 AM local time.
Adhering to the medieval Peruvanam tradition, the festival is confined to the temples of Devi

Devi

Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...

 (goddess) and Sastha (divine combination of Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 and Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

). Ten deities from the neighboring temples pay obeisance to the presiding deiety of Thrissur.

Participating Temples

Principle participants are Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple and Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple

Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple

Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple is one of the largest Krishna temples in Kerala. Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple is located in Thrissur in Kerala, South India and is considered to be over 1000 years old....

, close to the Vadakunnathan temple. Also participating and known as constituent Poorams are the suburban temples at Kanimangalam Sastha Temple at Kanimangalam, Pookkattikkara - Karamukku Baghavathy Temple at Karamukku near Chiyyaram, Choorakkottukavu Bagavathy Temple at Choorakkattukara, Laloor Baghavathy Temple at Laloor, Sree Karthyayani Temple at Ayyanthole, Nethilakkavu Bagavathy Temple at Neithilakkavu near Kuttoor, Chembukkavu Bagavathy Temple at Chembukkavu and Panamukkumpally Sastha Temple at Panamukkampilly near East Fort Thrissur for a total of eight deities. The sprawling Thekkinkadu maidan

Thekkinkadu Maidan

Thekkinkadu Maidan is situated in the middle of Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. This hillock which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is oval shaped open ground in the centre of the Thrissur city which is under the custody of the Cochin Devaswom Board...

, encircling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the festival and usually known as Thrissur Swaraj Round.