Elephants, Rhythms and a lot more

Our focus for this month’s newsletter is perhaps one of the most unique kinds of symbolic festivals in the country. It is also one of the most famous and well-attended ones. To give you a certain feel of what goes on in the three days when the festival is under way, here is a run-through of all that happens as the temple grounds come alive. The ‘pooram’ (festival of a Panchangama star in the Hindu calendar) at Thrissur is indeed an extraordinary occasion, one you wouldn’t want to miss if you are in Kerala around the beginning of May.

Ornate Elephants at the Thrissur Pooram

The most essential ingredient while the Thrissur pooram gets under way is the ringing sound that seems to arise from the earth – five instruments in tandem with each other to create a tremendous rhythm that reverberates throughout the milieu. The ‘Panchavadyam’ (five instruments) as it is literally termed, comprises of the Maddalam (leathered drum surfaces sewn onto a wooden body made out of a jackfruit log), the Elathalam (a pair of small bronze cymbals held in each hand), the Thimila (calf-skin leather drum surfaces sewed with twine onto an hour-glass shaped polished jackfruit body), the Idakka (smaller Thimila but with differences in pitch and resonance) and the Kombu (literally, a long curved horn). While the first four are percussion instruments, they are unnaturally held together musically by the Kombu, which is a wind instrument, that weaves melody into the beats. The performances begin and end with the Thimila which serves the bass notes.

These five instruments are amongst the several local instruments found in Kerala. Pallavur Raghava Pisharody, who is a renowned Elathalam player and Pallavur Appu Marar who is almost synonymous with the Idakka, are two examples of people who have turned singular percussion instruments into individual acts of music, much similar to the way the Tabla was performed by Ustad Alla Rakha. Jackfruit wood, locally known as Varikka Plaavu, is a common source of wood for these wind instruments as it allows for a raw strength to each note – something recognised and vouched for by the masters as well as the students of these art forms

At the Thrissur Pooram, the Panchavadyam plays for more than two hours in one recital. It reduces its tempo with the completion of every pendulum beat and is structured around five stages. Its history dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century as different masters of each of these instruments decided to come together for a recital using all the instruments. With royal patronage and the regular festivities at temples, the fusion found favour amongst the populace and today it is considered staple at the Poorams in the district and beyond.

The Thrissur Pooram is itself not that old. Arguably a couple of centuries into its existence, much of its fame is actually derived from the competitive spirit exhibited by the followers and troupes of the two divisions – the Paramekkavu (temples of the east) and the Thiruvambady (temples of the west) - that celebrate it. Raja Rama Varma’s geographical delineation of the ten temples he unified under ordinance has continued past his reign and is healthy today – as is evident from the amount of time and effort spent in decorating the elephant processions of the rival sides. The most beautifully decorated and ornamented elephants proceed from different temples towards the Vadakkunnathan temple (the common ‘observer’ temple between the competing sides) and line up before the gathering of devotees and visitors. These are some of the best elephants from the entire region, brought here after spending enormous amounts of money (both on the elephants as well as the decorations and the head-dress or nettipattam) in order to exhibit both pride and devotion – each as problematic as the other – in one great display that regales and excites.

Temple decorated for the night

What follows after the first set of rituals are over is the grand exchange of umbrellas (parasols fitted with colourful cloth) between the two sides. As the rituals draw to a close, the celebrations set in. Surrounding temples serve the prasadam before the preparations for the fireworks display are made. It is these fireworks displays that have added to the glamour of the event in recent times. The fireworks are elaborate and take a significant part of the preceding year to manufacture. Lasting for over five hours, the displays begin at an auspicious moment past midnight and continue on to the break of dawn. Different shapes and figures along with momentary sparkles of light across the sky draw people from the whole state for this very night. As people revel with all the delicacies available around the temple grounds, the night practically begins to feel like day.

The festival has come under scrutiny previously because of the child labour practices in the fireworks industry that feeds such celebrations and while scholars have argued over the feudal origins and practices surrounding some of the elements, there is indeed cause for concern for both devotees and visitors to this otherwise spectacular affair. So, while the festivities roll on every year and attract numerous patrons, it goes without saying that this festival should be a significant part of any itinerary for Kerala or indeed, southern India.