The huge beasts towered over me. They stood about 20 meters away - 15 of them. Behind me stretched an ocean of people - about half a million heads. Far away, in the midst of this ocean of black heads, rose 15 more elephants. Decked and adorned, they were performing the visual spectacle of 'Kudamaattam' (the changing of umbrellas), literally a competition between two temples. For an hour and a half i stood there. The crowd swayed, as if in a trance induced by the spectacle. Those close to me were in a frenzy, kicked up by the 'melam' (the pipes and drums).
As night descends, the city doesn't go to sleep. People throng the streets, trying to find a seat on the footpath, for the big fireworks at 3:00 in the morning. Fortunately for us, we had a pass to get on to the terrace of one of the buildings that stand around the temple ground. At 3:30 a.m., the spectacle started. As it rose to its crescendo, I could scarcely keep my eyes open at the flashes produced by the explosions, as one hundred and forty four explosives burst forth at once. So loud was it that my hands automatically went to my ears to cover them. The heat wave generated was pushing against us, and the whole building shook in the impact. This was Thrissur Pooram at its best.
It is impossible to describe in words, the sights and sounds of this spectacle. Right from the morning, when elephants from the temples surrounding the city of Thrissur bring in their deities, to the arrival of the deities of the two main temples - Thiruvambady and Parammekaavu, their face-off culminating in the extravaganza of the fireworks, crowds throng the place unmindful of the terrible heat. Pooram is not only about elephants, but also about the sound of the 'Panchavadyam' and the 'melam', which drives the immense crowd into such a frenzy that they dance to its beats even as midnight draws near. How can one explain in words, the enchanting effect of those beats?
Perhaps its best left unsaid, and given the chance, i would head there again, next year.
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