Pooram pronounced is an annual festival, which is celebrated in temples dedicated to goddesses Durga or Kali, held especially in the old Valluvanad area, and to a lesser extent in other places, covering Kerala State's present-day Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts) as also Kollam district, after the summer harvest. Harimattom pooram is one of the famous pooram in Ernakulam. An example of a famous pooram is Thirumandhamkunnu Pooram which has an active participation of 11 Lakh people across the country. Most pooram festivals have at least one ornately decorated elephant being paraded in the procession taken out of the temple precincts. However, there are some well known poorams, such as Anthimahakalankavu Vela, Chelakkara, Aryankavu Pooram at shoranur Palakkad and Machad mamangam near Wadakkanchery that do not use the caparisoned elephant, instead go for stilted mannequins of horses or bullocks. Vela is also a festival like pooram. Thrissur Pooram is the most famous of all poorams, known for fire works. The second-best-known Pooram in Kerala is Kollam Pooram. Kavassery pooram is well known for fireworks during afternoon. Some other well-known pooram festivals are Arattupuzha-Peruvanam Pooram, Chalissery Pooram is well known for the art and cultural standards, Anthimahakalankavu Vela, Nenmara Vallangi Vela, Vairankode Vela, Chinakathoor pooram, Mannarkkad Pooram, Kavassery Pooram, Pariyanampatta Pooram, Harimattom Pooram and Thirumandhamkunnu Pooram. Peruvanam-Arattupuza pooram is celebrating its 1436th year in 2018.
The ThrissurPooram is an annual Hindu temple festival held in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is held at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur every year on the Pooram day—the day when the moon rises with the Pooram star in 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 1 million visitors.
The Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in Thrissur, in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. The temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a koothambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.
Panchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India. Panchari Melam, is one of the major forms of Chenda Melam, and is the best-known and most popular in the kshetram vadyam genre. Panchari Melam, comprising instruments like Chenda, Ilathalam, Kombu and Kuzhal, is performed during many temple festivals in central Kerala, where it is presented in arguably the most classical manner. Panchari is also traditionally performed, albeit with a touch of subtle regional difference, in north Kerala (Malabar) and south-central Kerala (Kochi). Of late, its charm has led to its performance even in temples in Kerala's deep south.
Koodalmanikyam Temple is a Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda Municipality, Thrissur district, Kerala, India. The temple comprises a main structure, a walled compound with citadels, and four ponds around the main structure one of which is within the walls. Koodalmanikyam Temple is the only ancient temple in India dedicated to the worship of Bharata, of Rama, however the idol is that of god Vishnu. "Sangameshwara" is another name associated with the deity at Koodalmanikyam. The temple is one of four in Kerala that form a set called "nalambalam", each temple dedicated to one of the four brothers in the epic Ramayana: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna.
Cherpu is a suburb of Thrissur city in the Kerala State of South India. It is 12 kilometres south of Thrissur town and is on the Thriprayar road. It is dotted by a number of temples and has quite a few rivers flowing by its vicinity.
Thrissur, anglicised as Trichur, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about 3,032 km2 (1,171 sq mi), the district is home to over 9% of Kerala's population.
Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about 3 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District of Kerala State in South India.
Temple elephants are a type of captive elephant. Many major temples own elephants; others hire or are donated elephants during the festive seasons. Temple elephants are usually wild animals, poached from the forests of North East India from wild herds at a young age and then sold into captivity to temples. Their treatment in captivity has been the subject of controversy and condemnation by some, while others claim that elephants form a vital part of the socio-economic framework of many temple ceremonies and festivals in India, particularly in the South.
Uthramvilakku is a temple festival celebrated at Edakkunni in Ollur, south of Thrissur in central Kerala, south India. The highlight of the event is an over four-hour Panchari melam in the temple compound past midnight on the uthram day, with each of the five caparisoned elephants on the occasion carrying a deity each from as many temples.
Kechery is a town in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. It is 16 kilometers away from Thrissur and 7 kilometers from Kunnamkulam. One of the important hindu pilgrim center Guruvayur temple is 11 kilometres away from here.
Konni, also spelt Konny, is a town and taluk headquarters in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. Konni is known for its elephant cages, forests, and rubber plantations. It is also known as "Aanakoodinte Nadu". Nearest town is Pathanamthitta. Konni is located 32 km (20 mi) from Chengannur railway station and NH 183 in Chengannur. It is well-connected via Muvattupuzha - Punalur state highway. Buses ply frequently from Pathanamthitta KSRTC bus station to Konni.
Kerala, a state in southwestern India, has many Hindu temples. Many of the temples have unique traditions and most hold festivals on specific days of the year. Temple festivals usually continue for a number of days. A common characteristic of these festivals is the hoisting of a holy flag which is then brought down only on the final day of the festival. The largest festival in kerala in Pooram category is Arattupuzha Pooram at Arattupuzha temple and in Ulsavam category is Vrishchikolsavam of Thripunithura Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple. Some festivals include the most famous of these being the Thrissur Pooram. Temples that can afford it will usually involve at least one richly caparisoned elephant as part of the festivities. The idol of the God in the temple is taken out on a procession around the countryside atop this elephant. When the procession visits homes around the temple, people will usually present rice, coconuts and other offerings to the God. Processions often include traditional music such as Panchari melam or Panchavadyam. The festivals of Kerala are famous around the globe due to its diversity of experience.
The oldest pooram in all of Kerala, the Arattupuzha Pooram is held at the Sree Sastha Temple in Thrissur for a period of seven days each year. Believers say that at this 'conclave', all Gods and Goddesses gather during the time period of the Pooram. Arattupuzha Temple in Arattupuzha, Thrissur district of Kerala. Visitors from nearby and far off places reach the village of Arattupuzha during the festival days. The pinnacle of the seven-day festival is the last two days. The evening prior to the last day of the festival would have an assembly of caparisoned elephants and staging of percussion ensembles as part of the ceremony called Sasthavinte Melam. The pancharimelam of Aarttupuzha Sasthavu is the largest assembly of percussion artists in any other night Poorams. More than 200 artists perform in sasthavinte melam. This can only be seen at Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, Tripunithura other than in Arattupuzha Pooram
Peruvanam Pooram is one of the most popular temple festivals of the South Indian state of Kerala. It is held at Peruvanam Temple in Cherpu, Thrissur District. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity of this temple.
Uthralikkavu Pooram (ഉത്രാളിക്കാവ്) is a festival held at Shri Rudhiramahakalikav temple situated at Wadakkanchery in Thalappilly taluk of Thrissur district in Kerala, South India. The temple is famed for its Pooram festival held during February / March every year. It is considered as the second highest crowded pooram after Thrissur Pooram
Gajarajan Pampady Rajan also written as Pampady Rajan, is a notable Asian elephant.
The Nenmara Vallanghy Vela or Nenmara Vela is one of the most popular annual festival of Kerala celebrated at Nellikulangara Bhagavathy temple in Nenmara, Palakkad district.
Konni Aanakkoodu located in Konni is a well known training center for elephant's in Kerala. Its at a distance of 11 km from Pathanamthitta town.
Abhayaranyam is an animal shelter–mini zoo, which functions under the eco-tourism project of Kerala government. Located near to Kaprikad village in Kunnathunad taluk of Ernakulam district, the shelter was opened in 2011, with an aim to rehabilitate the animals in the Kodanad elephant training center, located two kilometers away. Kodanad Elephant training center was one of renowned and largest elephant training center in Kerala. It was also the first elephant training center in Kerala, started in 1895. The center covered an area of 2 acres and when the number of animals there kept increasing, all the animals were gradually relocated to Abhayaranyam, which has an area of 123 hectares.
