Thrissur Pooram 2024: Date, rituals, history, significance and everything that you need to know about the festival

Thrissur Pooram 2024: The special temple festival of Kerala is here. Every year, Thrissur Pooram is celebrated with a lot of pomp and grandeur at the Thekkinkadu Maidanam in the district of Thrissur in Kerala. Situated right in the middle of the city, Thekkinkadu Maidanam sprawls over a large part of the city with a temple in the middle of the maidan. Thrissur Pooram is an experience for every person in Kerala and also outside. It is witnessed by thousands of people that crowd the maidan on the day of the festival. Decorated elephants walk with colourful umbrellas on top and start off the temple festival from the temple. Thrissur Pooram is an amalgamation of the rich cultural traditions of Kerala with spirituality.

As we gear up to celebrate the special day, here are a few things that we need to know.

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Date:

Thrissur Pooram is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Medam. It is observed on the pooram day, when the moon rises with the Pooram star. This year, Thrissur Pooram will be celebrated on April 20. According to Drik Panchang, Pooram Nakshathram will begin at 10:57 AM on April 19 and will end at 2:04 PM on April 20.

History:

Shakthan Thampuran, the ruler of Cochin from 1790 to 1805 started Thrissur Pooram. The temple festivals dates 200 years back and is known for its rich cultural portrayal. In the year 1796, due to heavy rains, a group of temples were banned from attending the popular Arattupuzha Pooram. Hearing this, Shakthan Thampuran decided to start Thrissur Pooram in the month of Medam. Since then, the temple festival is observed every year with a lot of grandeur. In the present times, it is one of the most popular temple festivals celebrated all over the world.

Significance:

Observed at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur, people from all over the country and also abroad visit the temple to offer their prayers to Lord Vadakkunnathan. An elaborate procession of 50 decorated elephants with the traditional music of Chenda Melam and Pancha Vadyam marks the main attraction of the festival. Fireworks display at Vedikkettu is another attraction of this temple festival.