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Beyond Kerala's Thrissur Pooram
The Hindu festival is the high point in the socio-religious calendar of Thrissur and witnesses the coming together of numerous other temple processions of the city at one focal point — the magnificent Vadakkumnathan Temple read more
On April 30th, a flag went up in the city of Thrissur, in Kerala. This event – called Kodiyettam is a traditional flag hoisting ceremony conducted seven days before the festival called Pooram begins here. The festival is the high point in the socio-religious calendar of Thrissur and witnesses the coming together of numerous other temple processions of the city at one focal point - the magnificent Vadakkumnathan Temple.
Its architecture, the murals within and the legends associated with it are each worthy of a story of their own. And unsurprisingly, the Vadakkumnathan is one of fourteen sites that Kerala has recommended for UNESCO World Heritage status. This venerable shrine, a living embodiment of ancient traditions, witnesses lakhs of people converging during the Pooram, each participant or visitor carrying home memories of an unforgettable public celebration of faith and divinity. However, very few people trace the traditions back to their origins, or to those who encouraged them.
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While the original shrine built at the site of the Vadakkumnathan Temple is said to be nearly sixteen hundred years old, the Pooram itself was the brainchild of Sakthan Thampuran, the ruler of Cochin state at the beginning of the 19th century. Visitors can catch a glimpse of Thampuran's life and work at the Vadakkechira Palace nearby, which has a museum named after him.
The elegant Sakthan Thampuran Palace-Museum at Thrissur Source - Wikipedia
Rama Varma Kunji Pillai Thampuran, to use Sakthan's real name, reigned in Cochin for fourteen years beginning 1791. The largest temple festival in this time was the Pooram at Arattupuzha and all the temples around Thrissur participated in this. On one occasion, the temples around Thrissur were late in joining the Arattupuzha event and were denied participation. This paved the way for Thampuran to create another Pooram at the Vadakkumnathan Temple. A 60-acre teak forest around the temple was cleared and the vast park that exists around the temple brought into being. In the process, Thrissur became a cultural hub.
The Vadakkechira Palace was built by Thampuran in 1795 in a style that incorporated elements from Dutch architecture. After his death in 1805, he was cremated in the grounds of the same palace – a small memorial stands at the spot today. Two centuries after his death, the palace became a museum.
Not only is the museum building an elegant structure, but its galleries also showcase Kerala's dynamic history since as early as the 5th century CE. Via coins, inscriptions, sculpted remains and more, the place gives a visual commentary on the various influences that impacted the history of the region. A serpent grove in the palace grounds marks the continuation of another ancient Malayali tradition, one normally associated with temples.
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Close to this lies another palace-turned-museum. Kollengode was a small kingdom in Palakkad district, bordering what is now Tamil Nadu. A Kollengode ruler called Vasudeva Raja built a summer palace for his daughter in the cultural hub of Kerala in 1904. Another mix of Kerala and European architecture, the stately Kollengode Palace is now Thrissur's district museum.
The Kollengode palace museum in Thrissur
Murals inside the Kollengode Palace Museum complex
A mural inside the Kollengode Palace Museum complex
The first thing that catches a visitor's eye here are the murals inside its boundary wall – elaborate recreations of Kerala's traditional painting styles depicting various stories and events from history and mythology. On display within the museum are models of temple architecture as well as various items used in folk dances and other aspects of popular culture, many of which are seen in cultural processions during the Pooram. Also seen here are various household items made of wood, metal and even bamboo. The highlight of the museum is its collection of paintings, again featuring the state's rich culture.
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Thrissur has a third museum dedicated to history, one that is sometimes overlooked. Not because it lies in some obscure place but because it is within the zoo complex. Apart from local culture, this museum also contains a display of the region's animal life. But its standout feature is a stone in its precincts – a memorial stone erected over a century ago, a stone that debunks the 'martial race theory' of the British Indian Army. This stone speaks of 200 men from Thrissur who went to fight in World War I. Thankfully, it has no mention of any who did not make it back.
Back to temples, the Vadakkumnathan is one of 108 iconic Shiva temples along this magical coastline. Given how prosperous this region has been, it is natural that the temples have been modified and many times over at that. If one were to try and understand what a Shiva shrine in Kerala could have looked like in its original shape and form, a journey out of Thrissur is necessary.
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A four-hour drive southwards brings a visitor to Kaviyoor, near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district. Here on a rocky hill is a shrine that dates to the 8th – 9th century CE period. One climbs a flight of steps and reaches a ledge. Carved into rock on one side is a cave shrine. Within is an ardhamandapa with a doorway inside. Flanking this doorway are two huge dwarpalas. One of these life-size figures stands with his hands folded as if waiting for a call from his master within. The other one is leaning on what seems to be a mace.
Dwarpalas on either side of the doorway to the inner sanctum, inside the cave temple at Kaviyoor
On either side of this ardhamandapa, on its northern and southern walls, are two more carved figures albeit less intimidating. One is a Ganesha seated on a pedestal while the other is a standing sage. Going past the dwarpalas, one finds an inner sanctum. Inside is a huge Shiva linga. The entire temple – the inner sanctum as well as the ardhamandapa are carved out of a single rock.
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This monolithic rock art shrine reminds a visitor of Pallava architecture, the kind of which is seen in Mahabalipuram. It is a delight to see a lamp lit inside the inner sanctum indicating that the temple is not moth-balled into irrelevance. While the Kaviyoor Shiva temple may not have a Pooram of its own, the Travancore Devaswom Board conducts a morning pooja ritual each day. And thus, another ancient tradition of Kerala continues.
The author is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
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