Thrissur Pooram
Also called Pooram
When
Saturday, 17 April 2027 in 219 days
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Why this date?
The Pooram (Purva Phalguni) nakshatra in the Malayalam month Medam.
- Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
- Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
- Governed by the whole day rather than a specific period
- The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar
Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate โ
What In short
Kerala's largest temple festival, held at the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur. Two groups of temples face each other with caparisoned elephants, the kudamattam parasol exchange is performed, and the panchavadyam and melam percussion run for hours.
- Deity: Vadakkunnathan (Shiva)
Why The reason behind it
It was instituted in the late eighteenth century by Sakthan Thampuran of Cochin after local temples were excluded from a festival elsewhere โ he brought them together at Vadakkunnathan instead. The competitive structure between the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady groups is deliberate and original to it.
Traditional basis
Cochin state history, Sakthan Thampuran's institution of the Pooram โ The late-eighteenth-century founding and the two-group structure.
Kerala temple festival tradition โ The melam, panchavadyam and kudamattam as the festival's fixed elements.
How At home, step by step
- Attend the melam and the kudamattam at Thekkinkadu Maidan.
- The ilanjithara melam in the afternoon is the musical centre of the day.
Fasting and breaking the fast
Not a fasting day.
Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice โ if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.
Personal In your region
- Kerala (Malayalam)
The largest of the Kerala poorams; Thrissur's is the reference, with smaller poorams across the state.
For children
Kerala's biggest temple festival โ rows of decorated elephants facing each other, enormous drumming, and teams competing to show the most beautiful parasols.
Common questions
- Is Thrissur Pooram a religious festival?
- It is a temple festival and it is also a public cultural event of the state's largest scale. The percussion and the kudamattam are performances, and the crowds include many who come for those.
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.