Thousands of devotees thronged the famous Vadakkunathan temple in Kerala's cultural capital on Wednesday to witness the Thrissur Pooram, arguably the most colourful temple festival in the state.
The festival is marked with spectacular procession of elephants, chromatic Kudamattom, cadenced Ilanjitharamelam and night-long fireworks.
Two groups led by Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple and Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple are the major participants of the Thrissur Pooram which falls on the day of pooram star in the Malayalam calender month of Medam.
A major attraction of Thrissur Pooram will be the plethora of elephants decorated with golden caparison, strikingly crafted Kolam, decorative bells, and ornaments. The best elephants from the various temples across the state are send to the city to participate in the festival.
The Centre had last week asked the state government to enforce the Wildlife Protection Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act during the Thrissur Pooram.
The celebrations begins early in the morning and lasts till the break of dawn, the next day.
Thrissur Pooram was introduced by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Cochin State in the late eighteenth century. Despite being a Hindu religious festival, the pooram is famous for its secular nature with people from different communities actively participating and making their prominent role in each and every part of the festival.