Peruvanam
PooramEvent date: 05-04-2017
District:
Thrissur
Venue:
Peruvanam Temple, Cherpu, Thrissur District
During the
Malayalam month of Meenam (March-April) Peruvanam temple in Cherpu attains a
special charm and majesty. And the reason is the Peruvanam Pooram, a festival
that has a legendary status because of it antiquity. Lord Shiva is the
presiding deity of this temple. Legend has it that the present sreekovil
(sanctum sanctorum) was originally a tree on which Lord Shiva did tapas
(meditation).
It
is said that the original form of the festival was different from what it is
today. There also happened a break in it conduct due to unknown reasons. Later,
it was restarted as two poorams, Peruvanam pooram and Arattupuzha pooram. It is
estimated that the new version of the festival at Peruvanam has been in
existence for 1428 years.
In the
festival, the procession carrying the deity atop a caparisoned elephant along
with six other jumbos accompanied by traditional percussion ensembles is a real
treat for the eyes and ears. One of the highlights of the pooram is the
four-hour long panchari melam (traditional Kerala percussion ensemble) starting
past midnight and followed by fireworks.
Getting
there:
Nearest
railway station: Thrissur, about 14 km away.
Nearest
airport: Cochin International Airport, about 58 km from Thrissur.
