About Arattupuzha Pooram Festival:
The famous Aarattupuzha pooram is celebrated at the Arattupuzha temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, located 14kms. south of Thrissur. The festival which lasts for seven days is held in the month of March-April. It is the one of the oldest and spectacular temple festivals of Kerala. This colourful festival attracts spectators from all parts of the state. On the fifth day of the festival, ‘Thidambu’ is carried on a decorated elephant that is accompanied by eight elephants and drummers. The most colourful event of the festival is the sixth day or the final pooram day procession with 61 caparisoned elephants bearing bright coloured umbrellas and parasols. The festival ends with ‘Arattu’ (holy bath of the idol of the diety) ritual which is performed with great pomp in the Arattupuzha river. The uniqueness of the Arattupuzha festival is the ceremonial processions of the images of the deities from 41 neighboring temples to the Arattupuzha temple.
General Information about Thrissur:
Location: Thrissur
State: Kerala
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Language: Malayalam, English, Hindi
Temperature: Max 36˚C, Min 28˚C (summer), Max 28˚C, Min 18˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to March
How to Reach Thrissur:
By Air:
The nearest airport to Thrissur is Nedumbassery International Airport at Kochi, at a distance of 55 km. Taxi services are available from Kochi to Thrissur costing about Rs 700. Kochi airport is well connected to all major airports in India and also connected to many foreign cities. Direct flights are available to Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
By Rail:
Thrissur is a major railhead in the Southern Railway. Thrissur is well connected by trains to all major stations in India.
By Road:
Frequent bus services are available from all cities in Kerala to Thrissur. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses connect Thrissur with other cities. Private bus services are available locally in the city for easy travel. Super deluxe buses connect Thrissur with other important cities like Kochi, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Palaghat, Chennai, Salem, Coimbatore and Bangalore.
By Local Transport:
- By Bus – local bus service system is cheap.
- By Auto rickshaw – Auto rickshaws are the main form of local transport, if you don’t have your own means of transportation. Auto rickshaws running in the city limits are to use fare meters, while the ones from the adjacent areas need not use them. However it is a rule that such auto rickshaws without metres should not pick up passengers within city limits. There is a pre-paid auto rickshaw counter at Thrissur Railway Station.
- By Taxi – Local taxis are also available at cheap rates. Please note that there are no local Taxis (Yellow cabs or the one’s having yellow roof and black body). The taxis known as ‘Tourist taxis’ are meant for long travel or one day trips.
- By Car – There are many car rental companies offering cars with drivers or self drive.
- By Bike – Bikes are available for rental in Thrissur. This is available for a week or more than that.
- By Walk – Many places of attractions are near by each other so you could walk between them.