Thrissur literally means town with the name of Lord Shiva (Tiru Shiva Perur) and befittingly the town's most prominent feature is the Vadakkumnathan temple with Shiva as the presiding deity. The city (two hours away from Cochin) had a chequered history and was developed first by the Zamorins of Calicut then Tippu Sultan of Mysore followed by the Dutch and the British.
There is an art museum, in the zoo compound, which has a fine collection of wood carvings, metal sculptures and ancient jewelry. The Archeological museum is located in a 100 year old summer Palace of the Zamorins and is worth a visit as it has a reproduction of the famed Mattancherry murals. The Town Hall has a picture gallery of mural paintings from all parts of Kerala. There are a number of interesting Churches such as Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, Puttanpalli Church and the Chaldean (Nestorian) Church. Thrissur is home to a community of Nestorian Christians whose denomination goes back to the 3rd century AD. Saint Thomas the Apostle is believed to have landed close by (Kodungalloor) in 52 AD. The St Thomas Church established by him has ancient relics.
Thrissur is Kerala's cultural capital with many art institutes in the area, the most famous being the Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthusuthy (32 km/20 miles away). Here the traditional art forms of Kerala such as Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Kootiattam, percussion, voice and violin are taught and preserved. The Natana Kairali Research and Performing Center for Traditional Arts (20km/12miles away) hosts a 12 day festival in January and also conducts short appreciation courses.
Thrissur is famous the world over for its mesmerizing colourful Pooram Festival. This two century old festival is a festival of temple elephants decked out in their finest livery and percussion instruments a 36 hour marathon event. One of the oldest temples in the state of Kerala is the Vadakkumnathan temple with decorative murals and works of art. It is where the Pooram festival, the biggest festival of the region, is celebrated (April/May). There are several legends and myths behind the festival of Pooram which literally means a meeting. It was believed that every year the gods and goddesses of the area met together for a day of celebration on Pooram. In the evening of Pooram (20 April this year) two lines of 15 elephants from opposing temples face each other. Each elephant apart from being decked up has an umbrella holding priest, a peacock fan carrier and a yak-tail fly whisk wielder. Between the two lines of elephants stand percussionists and a traditional wind orchestra playing the panchvadyam. As they reach a crescendo a new display of brilliant ceremonial umbrellas blossoms over the elephants. This competition of the swift and rhythmic changing of the parasols goes on till the sun sets and the elephants return home. A magnificent fireworks display then lights up the night sky. Devotees and visitors come to Thrissur in thousands for the Pooram. It is a spectacular event and one that lives on in one's memory forever. So find out the dates of the next Pooram (April/May) and make your way to Thrissur for the mother of all festivals.