Arattupuzha Pooram
Where: Arattupuzha Sree Sastha Temple
When: March 22, 2016
Click here for the elephant festival calendar 2016
If you are in Kerala in March, don’t miss the grand spectacle called Arattupuzha Pooram.
Arattupuzha is a village in Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. It is about 15 kms from Thrissur town. Arattupuzha’s claim to fame is its Pooram held in honor of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of Sree Sastha Temple. The festival is held annually in the premises of this temple which is over 3000 years old. During the festival, gods and goddesses of neighboring villages visit Lord Ayyappa. That means elephants will carry their idols to the temple of Ayyappa in grand processions.
Arattupuzha Pooram – the highlight of this festival are the elephants wearing sequined umbrellas and white whisks. Over 50 of them assemble at the temple premises during the festival.
The sheer magnitude and grandeur of this festival has earned it the recognition as ‘mother of all poorams’. During the festival, the temple attracts visitors from all over Kerala and even outside of it. This is a 7 day festival and the celebrations reach their pinnacle during the last two days. On the evening of the 6th day of the festival, festooned elephants will assemble in the temple premises. Read more about Kerala temple festivals here.
Percussion artists performing in front of elephants. The temple is seen in the background.
There will also be a percussion orchestra called Sasthavinte Melam. Artists perform Sasthavinte Melam in the presence of numerous brightly lit traditional lamps and huge flame bearing staffs. In Malayalam, these are called theevetti. This ceremony will continue well past midnight. By early morning, elephants carrying the deities of nearby temples will start moving towards the paddy field adjoining the temple. The assembly typically consists of over 50 decorated elephants. There they will stand in front of tens of thousands of people cheering for them.
Read more about Elephant festivals of Kerala here.
In a short while, traditional percussion artists will electrify the venue with Panchavadyam, Pacharimelam and Pandimelam. All of these are various forms of percussion orchestra using traditional Kerala instruments. Meanwhile, the elephants that stand patiently bearing glittering umbrellas (muthukkudas) and white whisks (venchamarams) will entertain the crowds. They make a delightful sight. By sunrise, these elephants will proceed to the nearby river. This is where the arattu ceremony takes place. This is basically a cleansing process. The idols are immersed in the water while the priests chant mantras and make floral offerings. The last idol to be immersed is that of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of the Arattupuzha Sree Sastha Temple.
How to reach
The temple can be easily accessed by road. The nearest railway station is Thrissur Railway station. From there you can take a bus or taxi. The nearest bus stop is Thayamkulangara bus stop. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport.