Vadakkumnathan Temple

A walk through the serene surrounds of the temple will treat you to a heady mix of architectural beauty, heritage, culture and history. The temple is also renowned across the world for its Pooram Festival. Lakhs of devotees and tourists gather every year to witness the famous "Thrissur Pooram" at the temple premises where ceremoniously decorated elephants are paraded amidst much fanfare and which also involves a spectacular display of fireworks.


The temple is 10 acres, said to have been built by Parasurama, the legendary creator of Kerala. Here the deity is Shiva. The famous ‘Thrissur Pooram’, fathered by Shaktan Tampuran, is celebrated in the precincts of the temple. To facilitate the Pooram he cleared teak forests of 54 acres around the temple. The temple is enclosed by 15 ft massive walls. The Gopurams, four, in carved wood and stone positioned in four directions around the temple. Bali (sacrifice)stones in brass seen everywhere. The ground is dotted with stone reliefs of prostrating men. The deities of Ayyappa and Rama, as ancillaries, are in comradeship with giant old trees. The Adi Sankaracharya is also accommodated. The exquisitely carved wood beautifies the shrines and Koothambalam (temple theater). The idols of Shiva positioned all around the main altar. The deity Shiva is in the form of a big ‘mahalingam’. Here the main offering is ghee. The devotees brought ghee pours on the ‘lingam’ The years’ offerings concealed the lingam. At present the devotees can see only a mound of ghee. As a miracle, the ghee does not melt or emit any smell, though in summer the temperature rises upto 35 degree C. It is said, part of the ghee is more than 1000 years old.
Getting there
Nearest railway station: Thrissur Railway Station, about 2 km
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 52 km
Google map coordinates: G6F7+QR Thrissur, Kerala