Kerala government along with Thiruvambady temple board and Paremekkavu devaswoms decided to call off Thrissur Pooram after a meeting with state ministers.
Kavitha R
Kochi | April 16, 2020
Thrissur Pooram- the ‘mother of all festivals’ has been cancelled for the first time in 58 years due to COVID-19 outbreak. A ministerial-level meeting held on April 15, Wednesday in the government guest house unanimously cancelled the Pooram.
Reji P Joseph, Thrissur Deputy collector said, “The decision was because of the extension of COVID-19 lockdown till May 3. The Pooram was supposed to be held on May 2. It is impossible to host the Pooram celebrations and maintain social distancing and other guidelines of the lockdown.”
Srinivasan Namboodhiri, Paremekkavu temple superintendent said, “We need Rs. 2 crores to conduct the Pooram, and the exhibition takes up a major part of it. Pooram exhibition at Thekkinkadu ground, which begins on April 1 every year, was cancelled in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Only the main rituals will be held in respective temples, with the presence of five persons.”
Thrissur Pooram was started by Sakthan Thampuran, the erstwhile ruler of Kochi. Held on the Moolam asterism in the Malayalam month of Medam (April-May), festival related events take place at the Vadakumnathan temple situated in Thrissur and the adjoining Thekkinkadu ground.
Shaji P K, a devotee said, “Every year the pooram exhibition starts on April 1 and ends in the last week of May. I have attended the Thrissur Pooram since childhood. But this year Pooram festival is not going to happen because the Kerala government and the temple authorities decided to cancel the Pooram.”
Drawing a large crowd including foreign tourists, Thrissur Pooram has a history of more than two centuries. People enjoy the Ilanjithara Melam, Madathil Pooram Varavu, and the popular Kudamattam. Fireworks display as a part of the Pooram is another feast for Pooram lovers.
