Kerala Celebrates Thrissur Pooram With Full Rituals At The Vadakkunnatha Temple; Take A Look!

Thrissur Pooram, one of Kerala’s most iconic temple festivals, is celebrated with grandeur and deep devotion at the Vadakkunnatha Temple in Thrissur. Known as the “festival of festivals,” it brings together tradition, music, and vibrant cultural expressions, drawing thousands of devotees and visitors from across the country and abroad. Even as the celebration of Thrissur Pooram has been scaled down in view of the firework unit explosion that claimed around 15 lives, thousands thronged the Thekkinkadu ground of the Vadakkunnathan Temple, which is situated in the heart of Thrissur city on Sunday to witness the festival.

Thrissur Pooram celebrations

The celebration which took place on Sunday was marked by elaborate rituals that begin early in the day at the Vadakkunnatha Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Devotees and temple authorities performed sacred ceremonies, including special pujas, processions, and offerings. The atmosphere was filled with the rhythmic beats of traditional percussion instruments such as chenda and melam, which are central to Kerala’s temple culture. Compared to previous years, the excitement level of the spectators was comparatively low this time in view of the fireworks unit tragedy that happened on April 21, 2026.

Kudamattam was limited to 15 minutes

Thrissur Pooram is famous for its grand elephant parade, and one of its most iconic highlights is Kudamattam. It is a ceremonial display where two groups of caparisoned elephants face each other and rapidly exchange brightly coloured, decorated umbrellas mounted on their backs. Accompanied by rhythmic percussion like chenda melam, Kudamattam creates a vibrant visual spectacle symbolising competition, artistry, and festive spirit. While the Kudamattam usually extends for more than an hour, this time it was limited to around 15 minutes only. A percussion performance as part of the Pooram was also held.

Explosion in Thrissur

The explosion happened at the firework-making unit of Thiruvambady Devaswom situated at Mundathicode in Thrissur city. Till now 17 persons have been killed and many are still under treatment. Due to the tragedy, there was a strong demand to abandon the entire Pooram celebrations, but later it was decided by the government to abandon fireworks and scale down the Kudamattam celebration.