The city of Gold and splendid temple festival- Thrissur

Thrissur is an ideal escape for nature lover and history buff. The city beholds some beautiful temples which depict the South Indian art of temple architecture. A visit of 2-3 days to Thrissur is enough for sightseeing. Here is a brief description of the place.

Located 300 km away from Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur is the cultural capital of Kerala. Thrissur is a bright city and it beholds a strong religious, cultural and spiritual history. Situated on the hill, this place was once the capital of Cochin rulers. Thrissur is well-known for its cultural heritage. Full of tropical evergreens, Thrissur has a breathtaking landscape, but this district of Kerala is mostly famous for its splendid temple festival. Thrissur is one of the fastest growing and the largest urban agglomeration of Kerala. Being one of the best cultural and educational hubs of Kerala, Thrissur is home of students and scholars from all over the country. Plus, it is the Gold capital of India. Thrissur welcomes its guests warm-heartedly. Thrissur hotels provide good accommodations to the guests. It is a popular pilgrimage destination of South. Every year it witnesses a good crowd of devotees.

Thrissur Pooram Festival is held between April- May. This 8-day festival is a very important festival in South India. Devotees from different parts of the country try to attend this one of the holiest festivals. The festival is celebrated at Vadakkunnathan Temple on the day when the moon rises with the Pooram star. A very grand celebration, this temple festival was started by Raja Rama Varma, who was the Maharaja of Cochin. The Pooram celebration begins seven days prior to the main festival and it starts with the flag hosting by participating temples. Then after four days of ceremonial flag hosting, the display of firework is organised, innovative patterns and varieties of fireworks are displayed. Then on the fifth day, the golden elephant caparison is prepared for the main Pooram which starts in the early morning. Vadakkunnathan is a famous place to visit in Thrissur. Only during the festive season non-Hindus are allowed to enter the temple. This beautiful temple with carved woodwork depicts Mahabharata.

Our Lady of Lourdes was built in 1875 is the most famous church in Thrissur. The building is very impressive and has a lot of mural paintings in the interior of the cathedral.

The Town Hall, the Archaeological Museum and the Art Museum, all are equally impressive. It displays statues, models of temples, sculptures, etc. Apart from this Bible Tower, the tallest tower in the city, Thiruvambadi Krishna Shrine, the Athirappilly waterfalls are some of the very popular places to visit in Thrissur.

The best time to visit the place is from October to February but if you are brave enough to beat the heat and humidity of April- May then you can enjoy the famous Pooram Festival. The nearest airport is the Nedumbassery International Airport at Kochi which is approximately 79 km away.

Thrissur is also well-connected by rail and road. Direct trains from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are there. The local transports are readily available as soon as you reach Thrissur. Even, few Thrissur hotels offer pick and drop facilities from the railway station, provided you book your rooms before visiting the place.