Arattupuzha Temple Thrissur

About Arattupuzha Temple:

The famous Ayyappa temple at Aarattupuzha is just 14 kms south of Thrissur town, and celebrates its annual pooram festival in April/May. Arattupuzha Pooram is the oldest and the most spectacular of the pooram festivals of Kerala. It is believed that on this day a hundred and one gods and goddesses of the neighbouring villages visited Sree Ayyappan, the presiding deity of the Arattupuzha Temple. Evey today, 61 elephants feature in the pooram procession on the sixth day of the seven day festival. Panchavadyam, nadaswaram, pacharimelam and pandimelam add to the festive tempo. The arattu (holy bath of the idol of the diety) ritual is performed with great pomp and gaiety in the arattupuzha river on the following day. The final pooram is conducted with sixty one caparisoned elephants bearing bright coloured umbrellas and parasols, presenting an unparalleled spectacle. The temple ensemble lends a majestic tenor to the extravaganza.The elephant carries the images of the dieties of 41 neighbouring temples to this village. Arattupuzha temple is open 05:00 – 09:30 am & 05:00 – 07:00 pm.

General Information about Arattupuzha Temple:

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 Arattupuzha Temple:

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.