Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival

The Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival is a gala extravaganza replete with Religious pageantry, elephant processions, prayers and cultural performances that attracts tourists from all over Kerala and parts of South India.

Conducted in the month of April- May annually in the Malayalam month of Medam, all the temples of Thrissur district in Kerala- whether big or small take part in the Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival. That is how the festival derived its name- Thrissur, after the district where the festival takes place and Pooram, meaning 'a group or a meeting'. It is a belief among the people of Kerala that every year the gods and goddesses of the neighboring province meet each other for a day of celebration, which is the underlying reason behind this grand festival.

The venue for the Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival is the grand Vadakkunnathan Temple of Thrissur in Kerala, also known as the Thrissur Pooram Temple. The presiding deity of the festival is Lord Shiva at the Sri Vadakkunnathan Temple. The other temples like the Tiruvambadi temple, Paramekkavu temple, Neithilakkavu temple, Chembukkavu temple, Kanimangalam temple and the Panamukkampilly temple join in the celebrations.

Pilgrims, devotees and eager tourists congregate at the Thekkinkadi Maidan, which is just next to the Vadakkunnathan Temple to watch the festivities.

The festivities include folk and classical music and dance recitals with plenty of scrumptious local cuisine doing the rounds. Of course, the highlight of the Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival is the procession of caparisoned elephants that march in perfect rhythm to percussion instrument melodies under the guidance of their mahouts, which continues till sunset. The Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival finally comes to an end with a spectacular fireworks display that continues till the wee hours of the next morning.

Enjoy this unique Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival of Kerla, South India that lights up the laidback town of Kerala with a journey to India.

The various Kerala Pilgrim Centres are

• Guruvayoor Temple
• Sabarimala Temple
• Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival

A Journey to India offers information on Thrissur Pooram Temple Festival and online booking for tours and travel packages to Kerala and other destinations in India. To book a tour or for more information, please fill up the query form provided below.