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Browse > Home / THRISSUR / THRISSURTHRISSURFebruary 8, 2010 by admin   Filed under THRISSURLeave a CommentWhen a tourist hears the name “Thrissurâ€, the one thing that comes to his mind is all about the extravagant Thrissur Pooram. The luminous environment with the presence of the Gods and Goddesses of Thrissur, the display of the impressive elephants adorned with golden ornaments, the crowd and everything else gives him the best memorable moments in his life. Thrissur is known as the Cultural Capital of Kerala and the land of Shakthan Thampuran, the sagacious ruler who largely contributed in the development of the place. Thrissur is the home to many cultural institutions like Kalamandalam, Sahitya Academy and Sangeeth Nataka Academy. It has a distinct cultural past and has a heritage which is more than 2,000 years old. For those who wish to explore the cultural heritage of the State, a visit to Thrissur is inexorable. Thrissur is however a very large trading and business centre.Once upon a time this vibrant town was known as ‘Vrishabhadripuram’ but the name Thrissur is an abbreviation of ‘Thrissivaperrur’, the abode of Lord Shiva, who resides at Vadakkumnathan Temple . The town is built around a hillock, atop of which is the Temple , with god Shiva as the ruling deity. During the days of Independence movement, Thrissur’s Thekkinkad Maidan also echoed with the inspiring speeches of prominent leaders. This maidan (ground) is the venue for Thrissur Pooram as well as other functions like the political and trade union meetings, music concerts and other cultural programmes. Present day, Thrissur is known for its tiles and bell metals, gold trade and jewellery styling. It’s the major centre for the fireworks industry. The prominence of Thrissur in this area is due to Thrissur Pooram.TREASURE OF THRISSURShakthan Thampuran PalaceAccording to the historical, architectural and cultural importance, the Shakthan Thampuran palace of the former Maharaja of Cochin has now been converted into an antique museum. Scattered over six acres of land, there are three tombs here, one of which is that of the ruler Shakthan Thampuran himself. A flagpole- dating back to 1827 and the royal emblem of two elephants, a conch and a lamp proclaims a welcome to that place. Named after the Maharaja, the palace has several well- known materials and galleries which belong to the earlier rulers of Kochi. The renovated palace is a beautiful blend of the traditional Kerala and Dutch style of architecture. This museum has the largest assembly of excavated megalithic material, weapons and stamps. You can also glimpse through the old coins of that period, galleries depicting the treasury, royal bedroom, and royal kitchen with utensils. Besides the tombs of Shakthan Thampuran and other noblemen, there is a snake shrine, a tank, a Temple and a heritage and a straggling garden with innumerable collection of flowers, plants and trees.State Museum and ZooThis museum shares the compound with the Shakthan Thampuran palace, begin to function in 1885. In the 13 acres of area, there is the Art Museum, the Natural History Museumand the Zoo, together located at Chembukavu. The zoo is the native land to a variety of flora and fauna such as the extinct lion – tailed macaque, tiger, lion, sloth bear, species of bear and many birds including pink flamingos. The snake park has a reptilian collection of King Cobras, Cobras, Python, Kraits, Vipers and Rat Snakes. Interestingly there is a public road across the zoo which separates the zoo into two! To reach the rear section, you need to cross an over bridge across the road. Zoo & Museum offers an amazing experience for children and research students. The small Art Museum within the zoo compound is superb example of wood-carvings, metal sculptures, Kathakali figures, ancient jewellery and a wonderful collection of traditional Kerala lamps. It also houses a large number of historic items such as swords, jewellery, rocks, stuffed butterflies, etc.Vadakkummnathan Temple Vadakkumnathan is one among the most admired and one of the largest and ancient Shiva Temple s in Kerala. The Temple has a lofty stone wall and four striking gopurams (triangle roofs). It is also known as ‘Thenkailasam’ and ‘Vrishabhachalam’. The surroundings of this Temple are covered with sacred medicinal trees. This is a perfect example of Keralite architecture. It has low, tiled roofs and a plethora of woodwork. Here we can see decorative murals depicting scenes from the Mahabharata. The most attracting feature of the Temple is koothambalam, on the left side of the Temple .One of the rare aspects of the Temple is the ‘ghee abhishekam’, refined butter is offered to the Shiva linga everyday. The ghee turns into solid and remains there for about a year without melting. It is taken out annually and distributed to devotees as ‘prasadam’ (sacred food). Nearby is the Paramekkavu Temple , one of the main participants for the Thrissur Pooram. Though renovated in 1998, the shrine is old and the idol is attired in gold which has a rare elegance. The wooden latticework that holds oil lamps is really eye-catching!Basilica of Our Lady of DoloursThis is praised as the biggest and tallest church in Asia. It has three storied frontage and a high bell tower above the skyscraper of the town. The triple towers built in Gothic style, a range of 15 altars and musical church bells imported from Germany is truly a sensation!The ceiling of the church is decorated with charming mural paintings of the Holy Trinity. We can have a glance on the pulpit and the throne used by Pope Paul II, during his visit.Matha Mariyam Chaldean ChurchThe exceptionality of this church is the absence of idols or pictorial representations of Christ. A cross is the only thing we can find over there. This is the only church that follows old rites and still holds Mass in Syriac. Declared to be the oldest church in this region and the headquarter of the Chaldean Syrian Church in India, the local residents refer to as ‘Valiya Palli’ (big church). The church was setup in 1814; when Shakthan Thampuran settled 52 Christian families in Thrissur with a view to develop the place as a centre of trade and commerce. The church has a lovely fascia and an ornately carved tulip-shaped pulpit.Lourdes CathedralThis is one of the three important churches in Thrissur town. Established in 1885, it was elevated to a Cathedral in1891. A number of steps from the altar lead to the underground prayer chamber.Town HallThe main attraction of this town hall is the elaborated library and an auditorium. The long-pillared building is an excellent monument to gain knowledge about Thrissur’s former administrative, military and cultural history. The main building also stores exhibits of mural paintings. Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple As we go near Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple , we can smell the air filled with fragrance of incense sticks, we can hear the holy recital of mantras and see millions of devotees’ queued  to have a fleeting glimpse of Guruvayoorappan (god Sree Krishna). It is Kerala’s biggest shrine and South India’s second largest revenue earning Temple . In front of the Temple , there is the 33.5 metres high gold – plated dwajasthambha (flag-staff), plated with gold. The deity here is renowned for its healing powers and blessings. Devotees offer a wide range of offerings from simple archana (offering flowers) to expensive Udayastamana pooja (sunrise and sunset poojas). One of the most popular and expensive offering is the Thulabharam, where a devotee is weighed against bananas, jaggery, sugar and coconuts equivalent to his weight.Punnathor KottaA trip to Thrissur is incomplete without a visit to Punnathoor Kotta. It is the palace ground of the former emperors of Punnathoor, where more than 60 elephants were trained. This elephant camp of the Guruvayoor Devasom Board is the only one in the world. All the elephants in this camp are offerings from devotees like politicians, businessmen and film stars to Lord Sree Krishna of Guruvayoor.We can see the baby elephants playing and naughty adolescents feeding on piles of fodder and being looked after by their mahouts who wash and scrub them regularly in the sanctuary pond. The animals participate in the annual elephant race and the festivals held at Guruvayoor Temple and also at other Temple s of the state. Actually, it is the elephants from this camp that glimmer as stars in the Thrissur Pooram. Every year, after the strict festival schedule, the Temple elephants undergo an annualhealthcare regimen by the animal doctors.Palayur ChurchThis is claimed as the oldest church established by St. Thomas. The façade of the church is bedecked with a 14 granite life size statues of various incidents of St. Thomas’ life. The jubilee entrance to the main hall is portrayed with various alluring Biblical events, which is carved in Burmese teak. Other icing on the cake is the Thaliyakulam, a pond where St. Thomas blessed the local people and a facsimile of Little Mount in Chennai where he died. The Thaliyakulam is believed to have magical powers of healing dangerous diseases and a community baptism is held once a month here in the church. Nattika BeachNattika Beach Thrissur district is also sanctified with a pretty and scenic beach. It is one of the latest attractions to Kerala tourism. The beach has equal distance from Thrissur city, Guruvayoor and also Kodungallur. With its long stretch of golden sands and mesmerizing feature, she has started tranquilizing visitors who come there for peace and solitude. For adventure seekers there are a list of activities such as deep sea fishing, volley-ball and many more.Thrissur PooramThrissur Pooram is an annual event in Kerala, for which people wait one long year. It’s an enormous festival with festoons, strong elephants, awe-aspiring drum beats, colourfully lighted Temple compound and lastly the pyrotechnics. Thrissur Pooram can only be compared with the pomp and pageantry only with the Jagannath festival in Puri or Dussera celebrations in Mysore. This is certainly the mega- festival in Kerala.Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife SanctuaryThis 125 square kilometre wide area is one of Kerala’s oldest wildlife sanctuaries, which was established in 1958. It shares its boundary with the Chimminy sanctuary.TopographyThe terrain is undulant with the elevation varying from 45-900 metres. The habitat ranges from evergreen forests in the higher slopes to semi green forests in the valley. 80% of the forest is covered by moist deciduous forests and 15% by evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. The sanctuary is a rich deposit of bio-diversity with several rare herbs, shrubs, medicinal plants and uncountable diversity of orchids.Wild faunaBuilt around the twin reservoirs of Peechi and Vazhani, the sanctuary is enriched in bird life with 176 species of feathered creatures and 11 species, which are prevalent to the area. The sanctuary is loaded with eight different species of woodpecker, which something special! Apart from this, there are 31 species of reptiles and 17 genuses of amphibians.  A thousand groups of angiosperms are found in the area, out of which 50 are orchids. The sanctuary conceals all the major mammals found in India but only 17 genuses of large mammals are found in plenty. Some among them are macaque, Nilgiri Langur, tiger, leopard, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, Malabar giant squirrel, porcupine, small Indian civet, elephant, gaur, wild boar, sloth bear and wild dog.Pleasure ActivityThe Peechi dam, adjoining the sanctuary, is the source of drinking water for the habitants of Thrissur. We can have a walk through that dam. Boating facilities are also there which is offered by DTPC. While boating we can see the Mampara falls. We can also visit the Kerala Forest Research Institute in Peechi. It is a treasure trove of books and research papers.The Forest Department has organized an exceptional programme for outdoor enthusiast at Vallikayam Camp. Another programme called Woodpecker Trail can be enjoyed by trekkers.Chimminy Wildlife SanctuaryEnhanced with dense forest, a vast collection of birds and butterflies, and countless trekking trails, Chimminy Wildlife Sanctuary is truly El Dorado of animals. Chimminy is only a two-hour drive from Cochin. Established in1984, this sanctuary spans in an area of 85 sq.km on the western slopes of Nelliampatty. There is a huge lake in the middle, which quenches the thirst of animals.Biota of Chimminy Wildlife SanctuaryThe dense forest, speckled by streams and rivers, make a perfect home to a multiplicity of flora and fauna. The extinct lion-tailed macaques, tiger and the leopard besides common species like the mongoose, jackal, gaur, wild dogs, barking deer, porcupine, bonnet macaque, Nilgiri langur, slender Loris and wild elephants. You can also see the Travancore flying squirrel flitting from tree to tree. With more than 165 species, the bird life here is awesome. If you are lucky,  you can have a glimpse of the Southern Birdwing, which is India’s largest butterfly; the Blue Mormon, the second largest butterfly in the Western Ghats; the Atlas Moth, the largest  in the world and other beautiful butterflies like swordtail, forest nymph, Mormon, migrant, sailor and crimson rose.AdventureThe lovers of bird and butterfly watchers, you can explore the wilderness and beauty of Chimminy by trekking and camping. But the highlight of all excursions is the Moonlight Sonata, which involves rafting on full moon nights. Tags: