The Hindu : Kerala News : Sample fireworks display today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 18, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Sample fireworks display today

Staff Reporter

THRISSUR: Preparations for the Thrissur Pooram festival, the most-awaited cultural extravaganza of north Kerala, will reach its crescendo with the holding of the sample fireworks display at the Thekkinkadu Maidan on Monday evening.

The sample fire works display is in fact the continuation of the `Koloth pooram' which was being held in the early years of the launch of Thrissur Pooram festival. The king of the erstwhile princely State of Kochi who had launched the Thrissur Pooram festival used to come to his holiday palace in Thrissur these days then, and on the Koloth Pooram day, all the participating temples in the pooram festival were supposed to display the samples of their wares before him.

In the early days, there used to be a miniature pooram with the melam and elephant pageantry and fire-works display were arranged before the palace. But now only the miniature fire-works display is being held on this day. The `chamayakkazcha' to be used on the pooram day will be arranged normally on the previous day of the pooram every year.

Preparations on

Meanwhile, the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu devaswoms, the two major participating temples as well as the eight minor participating temples are busy completing the preparations for the pooram festival to be held on April 20 this year.

Both the Devaswoms have announced the lists of percussionists for the panchavadyam and melam of their respective sides. The names of elephants which will participate in the processions on both sides have also been announced. The district administration has directed all the participating temples to ensure that any elephant which is in musth or has a track record of frequent unruly behaviour is not allowed to participate in the procession. There are also directives to keep the noise levels of crackers to the legally fixed ceiling. The police, district administration, Corporation, the Cochin Devaswom Boards as well as the departments of health, water supply and electricity are making elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival.

200th edition of Pooram

According to some of the historians, this will be the 200 edition of the pooram, as it had begun in 1805 AD and as per the Malayalam calender in the year 980.

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