Kudamattam euphoria engulfs Thrissur; Pooram spectacle leaves everyone spellbound

THRISSUR: The celebrated Kudamattam ritual of Thrissur Pooram concluded in all glory amidst the mélange of colourful procession and rhythms. The Pooram aficionados will have to wait another year to witness the spectacle unfold at Thekkinkadu Maidanam.

The delightful Kudamattam ritual, filled with umbrellas of various colours and glitter, LED lights, and cutouts of gods and goddesses, heightened the excitement level to the crescendo.

Gajarajan Guruvayur Nandan, a famous temple elephant belonging to the Guruvayur temple, participated in the pooram processions for the Paramekkavu side. Meanwhile, tusker Chandrashekaran appeared for Thiruvambady side. Another 15 elephants lined up on the side for the revered Thekkottirakkam ritual which began with the playing of Pandi Melam at 5 pm.

The Paramekkavu Bhagavathy stood facing the iconic Thekke Gopura Nada of Sree Vadakkumnathan temple. The Thiruvambady faction also followed suit which started the legendary Kudamattam ceremony.

As the first glimpse of Pooram, Kanimangalam Sastha reached the Vadakkumnathan temple on Tuesday morning with a big procession entourage. The Thiruvambady procession took place at 7:30 am while the Paramekkavu procession at 12:15 pm.

At 11.30 am, "Madathil varavu", a panchavadhyam concert, with artists numbering upto 40 members with instruments such as thimila, madhalam, trumpet, cymbal and edakka took palce under the able leadership of Chenda percussionist Kongad Madhu.

Asia’s tallest captive elephant and fan favorite Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran carried the idol of Chembukkavu Bhagavathy. A grand Ilanjithara Melam was held at Ilanji Chuvattil in Vadakkumnathan temple at 2 pm under the leadership of Kizhakkoottu Aniyan Marar, with 250 artists. The fireworks display that everyone is waiting for will take place from 3 am to 5 am tomorrow.

This year's Pooram celebrations will conclude on Wednesday at 1 pm with the offering of the Upcharam at the Sree Moolasthanam.