Pooram spreads colour, cheer in Thrissur

The Thrissur Pooram on Wednesday had added glory with the apprehensions about untimely rains being proved false. The sky was semi-overcast, but it created more relief than alarm in the minds of the lakhs of spectators who assembled in the Thekkinkadu Grounds and in the city to enjoy the glory of the festival, known as Pooram of the Poorams.
 
 

 
The southern side of the grounds, the southern arc of the Swaraj Round, the circular road around the grounds, the Municipal Office Road and the balconies and roofs of all the surrounding buildings were packed with people as the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu teams, the main participants in the Pooram, displayed hundreds of parasols of stunning colours and designs at the Kudamattom.
 

 
The festival on Wednesday started with the first Pooram from Kanimangalam temple near the city arrived at the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple, which played host to the event without participating in it. Sastha, the reining deity of the Kanimangalam temple, reached the Vadakkunnathan temple safe from the mist and the sun early in the morning. The seven other small Poorams followed with deities from the surrounding temples visiting Sree Vadakkunnathan.
 

 
The main Poorams of the two main participants, Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu, started at 11.30 am with their respective Ezhunnellipu. Noted percussion artist Annamanada Parameswara Marar led the Panchavadyam of the Thiruvambady temple, whose Madathil Varavu Ezhunnellippu started from Thekke Madam with three of its fifteen elephants.
 

 
The Ezhunnellippu of the Paramekkavu temple started at the temple itself with all the fifteen elephants being accompanied by Melam, percussions.
 

 
For the Paramekkavu team, elephant Paramekkavu Padmanabhan and for the Thiruvambady tem, Thiruvambady Sivasunder carried the deities’ Kolams (shields).
 

 
The Paramekkavu team’s Elanjithara Melam in the Vadakkunnathan temple compound started at 2.00 pm with famous Melam exponent Peruvanam Kuttan Marar in Pramanam leading more than 200 percussionists in the Elanjithara Melam event.
 

 
Tens of thousands of Pooram-buffs cheered the enchanting Melam that started in Pathi Thalam, transforming into Chembada and culminating through the Drutha Kaalam of Pandy. At the same time, master of Chenda, Mattannur Sankarankutty led the hundreds of percussionists at the Aalthara Melam in the evening.
 

 
After the Elanjithara Melam was over, the 15 elephants came out into the Thekkinkadu Grounds through the southern tower of the Vadakkunnathan temple to face the tower from the edge of the circular ground. After that the 15 elephants of the Thiruvambady team lined up facing the Paramekkavu team and then it was time for the ultimate event of the day, the Kudamattom.
 

 
The Pooram will conclude at noon Thursday with the deities bid farewell to each other with the Upacharam Chollippiriyal, with a promise to meet next year at the Pooram.
 

 
The pooram events had started on April 10 with the festival flags being hoisted at the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu temples. Tens of thousands of people had gathered around the Theekkinkadu grounds to behold the Sample Vedikkettu (fireworks) on Monday. The symbolic start of the festival was on Tuesday with the opening of the southern tower (Thekke Nada) of the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple.