The illuminated Paramekkavu temple

The two doyens who lead the grand Thrissur pooram celebrations in Kerala, South India are the Paramekkavu Bhagavati temple and the Thiruvambadi temple.

But the venue of the festival is neither of these temples but another one, the Vadakkumnathan temple in the heart of Thrissur (trichur) town. The grand pageant that moves from the Paramekkavu temple to the venue of the festival is a sight to behold. It is led by caparisoned elephants, to the accompaniment of panchavadyam and pandimelam which are traditional orchestras that build up to a fast tempo.

The competition of the two leading temples in all aspects of the festival like fireworks, exchanging of decorated parasols and illumination, is what makes Thrissu Pooram so attractive.