South India · Kerala
Thrissur, Kerala
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
Kerala's cultural capital; Thrissur Pooram (April-May) is the state's most spectacular temple festival.
About Thrissur
- Inland
Where it is
Thrissur is a city in central Kerala, headquarters of Thrissur district, built around the Thekkinkadu Maidan, a wooded hillock crowned by the Vadakkunnathan temple, a short way inland from the Arabian Sea.
History
Thrissur grew around the ancient Vadakkunnathan temple of Shiva, passed between the kingdoms of Cochin and Calicut, and was held for a time by Mysore in the 18th century. The Cochin ruler Sakthan Thampuran then rebuilt it as a trading town, inviting Syrian Christian merchants to settle, and in 1796 he began the Thrissur Pooram.
People
Thrissur speaks Malayalam and is home to long-established Hindu and Syrian Christian communities, and it is called Kerala's cultural capital as the seat of the state's academies of literature, music and drama, and fine arts. Its goldsmiths make much of Kerala's jewellery, and Kerala Kalamandalam, the famous school of Kathakali and other Kerala arts, is in the district.
Known for
- Thrissur Pooram
- Vadakkunnathan Temple
- Our Lady of Dolours Basilica
- Pulikali, the Onam tiger dance
- Gold jewellery making
Did you know?
At Thrissur Pooram, the rival Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady temple groups face each other with caparisoned elephants and compete in the kudamattam, a rapid exchange of colourful parasols.
Shrines and sites
- Vadakkunnathan Temple
- Our Lady of Dolours Basilica
- Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady temples
- Guruvayur
Traditions
- Hindu
- Christian
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