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.
Disclaimer
In Kerala, festival dates are decided in accordance with the Malayalam calendar and the local traditions and customs. We have calculated the festival dates based on these. But there can be changes in the dates according the customs and rituals associated with each place of worship. As such, these should be considered only as approximate dates and have to be confirmed with the local authorities.
