Thrissur: The land of Sakthan wakes up to unparalleled excitement and fervour. The ground is set for one of the most popular festivals of Kerala, Thrissur Pooram. Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran, the king among the elephants, stands tall carrying the idol, marking the grandeur of the festival.

The arrival of other Poorams of eight constituent temples to the Vadakkunnathan temple has now commenced. Everyone eagerly awaits the visual feast prepared by Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady Devaswoms.

Paramekkavu Bhagavathy will set out for the Pooram by around 12:30 PM. The first beats of the Elanjithara Melam (traditional percussion ensemble) will be heard from 2 PM. By around 5:30 PM, the grand Kudamattam (ceremonial parasol exchange) will unfold at the southern entrance of the temple. Following the Kudamattam, the night-time Pooram festivities will reach their peak. At 11 PM, the Panchavadyam (five-instrument orchestra) by Paramekkavu will take place.

On Wednesday morning at 3 AM, the much-anticipated fireworks display will be held. After the day-time Pooram, the festival concludes by 12:30 PM with the ceremonial farewell (Upacharam) by the goddesses of Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu in front of Lord Vadakkunnathan. The Thrissur Pooram festivities had officially begun when Neythalakavilamma arrived and the southern gate of the Vadakkunnathan temple was opened.

Night Services by KSRTC
On Tuesday and Wednesday, in addition to its regular daily services, KSRTC will operate 65 special services, including 51 fast and 14 ordinary services. The fast services will operate mainly from the Thrissur KSRTC bus stand, while the ordinary services will be based at the Sakthan stand. Private buses will also run special services. Special traffic arrangements, including at the toll gates, have been implemented to manage the crowd.

KSRTC will operate services every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes at night on the routes:

  • Thrissur–Palakkad
    Thrissur–Kozhikode

  • Thrissur–Chalakudy
    For the following routes:

  • Thrissur–Perinthalmanna and Thrissur–Guruvayur: services every 30 minutes during the day and as per demand at night
  • Thrissur–Mala: every 20 minutes during the day and according to demand at night
  • Thrissur–Ernakulam: every 10 minutes during the day, every 15 minutes at night
  • Thrissur–Kottayam: every 15 minutes during the day, every 20 minutes at night

Even after the Kudamattam and post-5 AM on Wednesday, there will be additional trips to Mala, Irinjalakuda, Kodungallur, Chalakudy, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Guruvayur, Ponnani, Nilambur, Palakkad, Wadakkanchery, and Chittur.