| Thrissur Pooran, the
pooram of all Poorams in Kerala, falls in April every year. It is
different from other national festivals like the Kumbha Mela of
Uttar Pradesh, the Vijayadashami pageantry of Mysore or the Rath
Yatra of Orissa. It is basically a people’s festival in all
respects It is conducted by the active participation of people cutting
across all barriers of caste and religion.
The unique varied nature of Pooram could be traced to its origin
two centuries ago when Sakthan Thampuran, the very architect of
Thrissur, became the ruler of the former state Kochi. When he, Prince
Rama Varma (1751-1805), enthroned as the ruler, the fortune of the
state was at its lowest ebb. The state was totally confused with
internecine feuds among feudal lords and the priestly class. Events
like occupation of the Thrissur palace by the Zamorin of Kozhikode
and a series of invasions by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore
who had converted the sacred grounds of Vadakunnathan temple into
his battle Headquarters were humiliating experiences to the new
ruler. The result was the restoration by him of the 10 acre temple
complex.
He was obsessed with the uncontrolled corruption in the administration
of the Vaddakkannathan temple. He turned his attention towards overcoming
the Brahmin domination. At a time when nobody would have dared to
look straight at the almighty Namboodiris, Sakthan Thampuran stripped
of their powers and took over the administration of the temple that
claimed an antiquity of more than three centuries. Thrissur Pooram,
its major venue is the sprawling Thekkinkadu Maidan, is an outcome
of his hostility to the blue-blooded upper classes. He entrusted
the responsibility of holding the festival to the two temples- Tthiruvampadi
and Paramekkavu temples that had never been under the control of
the Namboodiris. He is said to have drawn up the 36-hour frantic
schedule of the Pooram festival.
Thrissur Pooram, the mother of all temple festivals in the state
of Kerala, is essentially one of its kind. The two devaswams- Thiruvampadi
and Paramekkavu- discover and take advantage of every source at
their command to make this annual festival a memorable one. It is
celebrated with a colourful procession of caparisoned elephants,
parasol exchanges, drum concerts, display of pyro-techniques and
refreshing scenes of public participation. During the festival season,
Thrissur, popularly known as the temple town turns into a town of
colour, music and amusement. The Pooram programmes extending about
36 hours begins with the ezhunellippu of the Kanimangalam Shasta
in the morning followed by the ezhunnellippu of the other six minor
temples on the Pooram Day. The ezhunnellippu programme which is
considered to be a ritual symbolising the visit of the Devi from
the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi temples to the Vadakkunnathan temple.
A major event of the Pooram festival is the Panchavadyam in which
about 200 artistes from the disciplines of Thimila, Maddalam, Trumpet,
Cymbal and Edakka participate. Another major event of the pooram
begins with the setting off of the ‘Pandemelam’ at noon
in which about 200 artistes in the disciplines of drum, trumpets,
pipe and cymbal participate. The grand finale of this festival of
colour, music and fire works would be marked with a function of
bidding farewell to the deities of the Thiruvambadi and Paramekkavu
Devaswams in front of the Western Gate of the Vadakkunnathan Temple.
The most remarkable feature of the Thrissur Pooram is its very
worldly nature. The Muslim and Christian Communities actively take
part in it and they play a outstanding role in the festival. Most
of the pandals are the craft work of the experts from the Muslim
community. For the two days of the festival, the CMS High School
owned by the North Kerala Diocese of CST Church and located on the
western part of the Swaraj Round, becomes virtually the Headquarters
of the Thiruvampadi Devaswam. The temple elephants are tied in the
school compound. The ‘Aana Chamaya pradarsanam’ is also
held here. The parasols for the ‘Kudamattom’ are offered
by the churches and their members. At a time when the secular fabric
of the Indian Society is slowly disintegrating, one can not be narrow-minded
to the relevance of Thrissur Pooram, the conduct of which should
become worthy of emulation to other festivals in the country.
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