Thrissur Pooram in crisis again? Elephant parade cannot be held as per high court guidelines

THRISSUR: Thrissur Pooram cannot be held as per the new directive of the Kerala High Court in connection with the parading of elephants, said Thiruvambady devaswom secretary K Girish Kumar. The Pooram which lasts for 36 hours, will require 150 elephants for a section. He said Thiruvambady will join the case and requested not to take a decision by listening only to the NGOs wanting to hinder festivals. The move is to disrupt the smooth conduct of Pooram. If followed the present restrictions, will not be able to hold Madathil Varavu and Thekkottirakkam.

‘The high court guidelines said the distance between elephants during the procession should be three meters. When 15 elephants are paraded, it will be 45 meters. No Pooram can be held, not even Thekkottirakkam. The total width of the road where Madathil Varavu is held is six meters. If that happens, there will be a situation where the Thrissur Pooram will have to be shifted to paddy fields. It is necessary to protect the elephants, but we should not go to the level of not holding any rituals. We have decided to go ahead with legal action. All the temples in Kerala will form a festival coordination committee together,’ said Girish.

Paramekkavu also has a similar opinion. Paramekkavu Devaswom has already made its stand clear that the rituals related to the Pooram begin with the elephants. Apart from devaswoms, the Pooram Premi Sangham is also against the guidelines. Pooram Premi Sangham convener Vinod Kanden Kavu responded that this is a move by foreign forces to sabotage the Thrissur Pooram. Vinod said the government should intervene urgently in the matter and that the central and state governments can only resolve it in minutes. He also demanded that steps be taken to bring 200 elephants to Kerala as early as possible.

The present high court guidelines will affect not only the Thrissur Pooram but also most of the major festivals in Kerala, said the pooram lovers.