WELCOME TO THRISSUR

 Thrissur (also Trichur, Trishur; Malayalam: തൃശൂര്‍, Sanskrit: श्रीशिवपुरम्) is a revenue district of Kerala situated in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,032 km2, Thrissur district is home to over 10% of Kerala’s population. Thrissur district was formed on July 1, 1949, with the headquarters at Thrissur City. Thrissur is known as the cultural capital of Kerala, and the land of Poorams. The district is famous for its ancient temples, churches, and mosques. Thrissur Pooram is the most colourful and spectacular temple festival in Kerala

PILGRIM CENTRES IN THRISSUR

VADAKKUMNATHA TEMPLE

Vadakkumnatha temple is located in Thrissur district. The deity here is Lord Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. This temple is believed to be around 2000 years old. The total area on which the temple is located is around 9 acres. The temple structure has 4 gopurams each facing the 4 directions- north, east, west and south. These gopurams are beautifully carved in stone and wood. The walls of the temple are decorated with mural paintings that have themes from Mahabharata. This temple is very famous as the famous festival Thrissur Pooram is conducted from here.

GURUVAYUR SREE KRISHNA TEMPLE

Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple is located in Thrissur district and is dedicated to Lord Krishna and the Lord here is lovingly called as Guruvayoorappan. It is so popular that people from all parts of India visit this temple. This temple is popularly called as the ‘Dwaraka of the South’. The main entrance of this temple is called as the Bhooloka Vaikunta Nada. There is a gold plated flag post and a Deepa Stambha for lighting the lamps. This lamp post has 13 receptacles and is lit daily. The Srikovil is the place where the idol of Krishna is placed. This idol is made of a stone called as ‘Pathalanjanam’.

 

KODUNGALLOOR BHAGAVATHI TEMPLE

Kodungalloor Bhagavathi temple is located in Kodungalloor and was constructed during the rule of the Chera. The deity here is Kannagi and it was built by the Chera ruler Cheran Senguttuvan. This temple is managed by the Raja of Kodungalloor and is at present under the administration of the Cochin Devaswom Board. Kannagi is an incarnation of goddess Kali or Durga. The idol which is about 6 feet tall is made of jackfruit tree. It wears a crown and the face is covered with a mask. This idol has 8 hands which hold various weapons. The idol is fully covered with gold ornaments. There is also an idol of Lord Shiva and it is a practice to worship Shiva first and then to worship the goddess.

KOODALMANIKYAM TEMPLE

Koodalmanikyam temple is a very beautiful temple built in the 9th century and has a magnificent architecture. It is located in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district. The carvings that are done in stone and wood are very attractive. There are murals on the walls. The deity here is Bharata which is the only such temple in India that is dedicated to Bharata. There is a story related with the name Koodalmanikyam. One of the special Nivedyam in this temple is the Brinjal Nivedyam.  Another important offering that is made in this temple is the ‘Thaamaramala’.

THRIPRAYAR TEMPLE

Sri Rama Temple at Thriprayar is a magnificent temple which is dedicated to Lord Rama. The idol of Rama has 4 arms and this deity is believed to have some aspects of Lord Siva also. There is also a shrine of Ayyappa here. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is very beautiful and scenes from Ramayana are represented on it. The shrine in this temple is related to Lakshmana Perumaal temple, Payammel Sree Sathrughna Swami Temple and the Koodalmanikyam Bharata temple. It is believed that to worship all these four temples on the same day is considered as worthy. People visit all these temples during the Ramayana month and it is popularly called as ‘Nalambalam Thozhal’.




ARATTUPUZHA TEMPLE

The famous Sree Sastha temple is situated at Arattupuzha, a beautiful, quiet village located 15km away from Thrissur town. The road that leads to this temple is 2km towards east from Thevar Road Bus Stop in Thrissur Kodungallur route. The antiquity of this temple dates back to 3000 years and the temple hosts the most ancient and the world's second oldest festival "Devamela" (a festival when all gods and goddesses assemble) at Arattupuzha.

CHERAMAN JUMA MASJID 

Cheraman Juma Masjid is a mosque in Methala, Kodungallur Taluk in the Indian state of Kerala. The Cheraman Masjid is said to be the very first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik lbn Dinar. It is believed that this mosque was first renovated and reconstructed in the 11th century AD. Many non-Muslims conduct initiation ceremonies to the world of letters of their children here. 

MANTHALA  JUMA MASJID

The famous Sree Sastha temple is situated at Arattupuzha, a beautiful, quiet village located 15km away from Thrissur town. The road that leads to this temple is 2km towards east from Thevar Road Bus Stop in Thrissur Kodungallur route. The antiquity of this temple dates back to 3000 years and the temple hosts the most ancient and the world's second oldest festival "Devamela" (a festival when all gods and goddesses assemble) at Arattupuzha.

PALAYUR CHURCH

St. Thomas, the Apostle of Christ landed in AD 52 at Kodungalur, the first centuary west coast harbour of Kerala (Pliny’s Primum Emporium India) and went on to establish seven churches for the faithful he evangelised in Kerala. Only one of the seven churches could claim continuous existence in the same location from the time of the Apostle. The church at Palayur is unique in that the present church has a continuous history of two millennia and stands on the same spot where Apostle first established it. The first church founded by St. Thomas continued to exist for many centuries and we know that in 1607 the Italian Jesuit Fr. Permission from the ecclesiastical authorities, to construct a more convenient church around the existing old structure for the parish of Palayur.

                                     

PLACES TO VISIT IN THRISSUR

  TOWN HALL

The Thrissur Town Hall is an imposing building situated in Thrissur city of Kerala State of India. It was constructed during the Dewanship of RK Shanmughom Chetti and contains the Archaeological Museum and Picture Gallery, where mural paintings from all parts of the Kerala are copied and exhibited. The must see in this museum is the collection of the old manuscripts which is written on the palm leaves, they are called as olagrandhangal.It was built in honour of the then Emperor of India, King George for silver jubilee. It is built in the Victorian style with a lawn and garden in front of it.

KERALA SAHITHYA ACADEMY

Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India.

KENDRA SANGEETHA NATAKA  ACADEMY

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Its aim is to foster and develop Kerala dance, drama and music and to promote the cultural unity of Kerala.

KERALA LALITHA KALA ACADEMY

Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, established in 1962, with the objective of conserving and promoting visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphics, is an autonomous cultural organization of the Government of Kerala.

PUNNATHUR KOTTA (ANAKOTTA)

Punnathurkotta was once the palace of a local ruler, but the palace grounds are now used to house the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, and has been renamed Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort"). There were 86 elephants housed there, but currently there are about 66 elephants. The elephants are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa. This facility is also used to train the elephants to serve Lord Krishna as well as participate in many festivals that occur throughout the year. The oldest elephant is around 82 years of age and is called 'Ramachandran'. The rituals of Gajapooja (Worshipping Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants) are observed here, as an offering to Lord Ganesha. The legendary elephant "Guruvayur Keshavan" was housed here. The compound also has a naalu kettu, a traditional rectangular home with a central courtyard, which belonged to the Punnathur Raja. It is poorly maintained and presently houses a training school for Papans (Mahout). This complex also contains a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Bhagavathy. Some scenes in the famous Malayalam movie "Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha" (starring Mammooty) were filmed at this location. The visiting hours are 8.00 AM to 5.30 PM. The entry fee is Rs 5 per adult. An extra Rs 25 is charged for to use a camera inside the complex.

KERALA KALA MANDALAM

Kerala Kalamandalam - which nowadays stands as a symbol of traditional classical art forms of India. Situated in a village named Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur District, Kerala State, India, this institution is unique in many ways. As a centre of learning and research for the traditional classical art forms of Kerala, Kalamandalam attracts students and scholars from both India and abroad. Kalamandalam was founded in 1930 by the celebrated poet Vallathol Narayana Menon for the preservation and promotion of the traditional classical arts of Kerala viz. Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and similar performing arts that had then been heading to extinction. The institutionalization of classical art forms was a major breakthrough in the history of Kerala's art and culture.

CHERUTHURUTHY (PANCHAKARMA) AYURVEDIC RESEARCH CENTRE

National Research Institute for Panchakarma (NRIP) at Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district, is the only organisation in the public sector for research and development in Indian systems of medicine, especially Panchakarma related to ayurvedic system. The institute was set up in 1971 on the southern bank of Bharathapuzha river in Cheruthuruthy.

ATHIRAPILLY WATERFALL

Athirappilly Falls is situated in Athirappilly panchayath in Thrissur district of Kerala, on the southwest coast of India. Located on the west-flowing Chalakudy River near the Vazhachal Forest Division and the Sholayar ranges, this 24-metre (80 ft) waterfall and the nearby Vazhachal Falls are popular tourist destinations. It is nicknamed "The Niagara of India

VILANGAN HILLS

Vilangan Hills is a hillock located 5 km from the Thrissur City of Kerala state in India. The hill gives a panoramic view of Thrissur City and Thrissur Kole Wetlands from the top. The hills covers an area of 50-acre (20 ha). It has an open-air theatre, amusement rides for children. It is owned by Thrissur District Tourism Promotion Council but maintained by Thrissur Municipal Corporation. The visitors should pay an entry fee at the check post of the hills. 

DREAM WORLD THEME PARK

Dream World, the state-of-the-art water theme park is situated close to the Athirappilly waterfalls and other nearby attractions of Vazhachal, Thumboormuzhy and Sholayar. The park is designed in such a way that tourists belonging to any age group can effortlessly reach all the amusement rides without much walking or climbing. 

SILVER STORM THEME PARK

This fun-filled; excitement bubbling Water Theme Park is located at Vettilapara near the famous Athirapally waterfalls in Thrissur District. Some of the attractions here have been introduced for the first time in the history of South India, like Go-Karting, enabling one to enjoy the thrills of adventurous driving through wild tracks, akin to the popular Himalayan Rallies. Flying Dutchman is a group of planes that takes one through an amazing 20ft. in what may be described as the most rhythmic and memorable ride ever! Bumping Boats provide a fabulous time for the young at heart.

CHIMMNI WILD LIFE SANCTUARY

Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary is a national park located along the Western Ghats in Mukundapuram taluk of Thrissur District of Kerala state in India.

PEECHI DAM

Peechi Dam is situated 22 km outside Thrissur city in Kerala, India. The dam was started as an irrigation project for the surrounding villages in Thrissur. At the same time, it catered the drinking water needs of the population of Thrissur City.