Covid-19 lockdown: 'Thrissur Pooram' cancelled

Thrissur(Ker), Apr 15 () The annual Thrissur Pooram,billed as the mother of all temple festivals in Kerala, willnot be held this year in the wake of the nationwide lockdown,the Kerala government said on Wednesday.

The iconic festival, known for theparade of richlycaparisoned jumbos, performance of traditional music ensemblesand a sea of cheering people, was to be held at thesprawlingThekkinkadu Maidan in Thrissur city on May2 this year. Agriculture Minister and a legislator from the districtVS Sunil Kumar told media that the state government andmembers of the two devaswom boards, which organises thefestival, held discussions and consulted with the priests and"unanimously decided" to cancel the Pooram.

"After considering the unusualsituation of pandemic weare facing, the state government and the devaswom Boards haveunanimously decided to cancel the famous Thrissur Pooram(festival) and will conduct only the necessary rituals," theminister said.

The rituals will be conducted inside the VadakkunnathanLord Shiva temple with the participation of five people anddevotees will not be allowed inside the temple.

"All other events related to the Thrissur pooram,including the exhibition, mini-poorams also stands cancelled",he said adding all the religious institutions are supposed tofollow the lockdown protocol.

The pooram was earlier cancelled during many instances,including in 1948 when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated andthen during the Chinese war.

"Earlier it was also cancelled or held with minimumrituals when there was a difference of opinion over conductingbursting the fireworks and handling of the usual exhibition,"minister said.

This year's festival was scheduled to be held on May 3.

The Pooram exhibition, which usually begins on April 1and ends in the last week of May, has already been cancelled.

The two-century-old Thrissur Pooram had its origin in1798, through a royal edict of the then Raja Rama Varma,popularly known as Shakthan Thampuran, a powerful ruler of theerstwhile princely state of Cochin. The edict entrusted two local temples -- Paramekkavu andThiruvambady -- as the main sponsors of the festivities to beconducted in a competitive spirit.

Besides the main poorams by the two devaswoms, smallpoorams from nearby temples also participate in thefestivities, which ends with the fireworks display. RRT UDROH ROH