One of India's biggest festivals, Thrissur pooram ends with the deserted ground as the state and its people follow the lockdown protocol and stay indoors.
Thrissur pooram is one of the biggest fanfare in the whole of India. A celebration of humankind, this pooram is looked forward to by every Malayali around the world. There is a sense of togetherness that the people feel when they gather up at Thekkinkadu Maidan and dance all night to the beats of chenda melam in all its glory. With elephants all decked up with beautifully crafted gears, exceptional fireworks and colourful possessions all adding up to fun this sure is one of the biggest festivals.
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The pooram that sees the participation of 10 temples was the idea of Raja Ravi Verma aka Sakthan Thampuran. It happened after Arattupuzha Pooram, the largest pooram then, denied the entry of other temples after they were late for the pooram due to rain. This left them embarrassed and angry taking them to Thampuran for a solution. It was then that he said that all the 10 temples should hold a single pooram were everyone can participate equally. He invited all the temples with their deities to gather in his hometown at the Vadakkunnathan Temple. To make it more interesting he decided to make a group of two, five temples each, calling them the "Paramekkavu side" and "Thiruvambady side." What also makes this festival unique is that everything used in the procession that follows on the last day of the celebration is made fresh every year. People gather in large numbers to see the unique umbrella exchanging that happens along with chenda melam and not to forget the nettipattam (the elephant's ornaments).
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This year, however, the whole fanfare was a silent affair. The state that is under lockdown was forced to stay away from experience the greatest pooram of all times. The Thekkinkadu Maidan which is usually packed with people cheering and rejoicing was deserted this year. It was only the chenda maestro Peruvanam Kuttan Marar who accompanied the Paramekkavu Bhagavathy idol which returned after the arat on Saturday. The pooram has been cancelled a few times before in 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and 1962 after the Indo-China war.
Take a look at the deserted Thrissur pooram maidan:
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