Tourists flocked to see the decorative items exhibition in Thrissur
THRISSUR: Pooram festivities have officially kick-started in Thrissur with the commencement of ‘Chamaya Pradarshanam’, the exhibition of parasols, caparisons and colourful decorative umbrellas of Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms. Minister of State for Tourism, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi inaugurated the exhibition on Sunday in the presence of Revenue Minister K Rajan, Higher Education Minister R Bindhu and other prominent personalities.
The exhibition of adornments of Thiruvambady faction is going on at Kousthabham hall while that of Paramekkavu is at Agrashala hall. Meanwhile, the festive fever caught the people of Thrissur as the city came alive on the day, especially with the sample fireworks.
Many people arrive in the city in the morning, visit the exhibition of adornments of both the factions and then the Pooram exhibition for the purchases of the year, while the ‘chamayam’ and the amusement rides in the pooram exhibition enthral children.
“It is like an annual ritual for all of us. Once the pooram days arrive, we roam around in the city and return only after the sample fireworks display. No matter what, we come here with family and enjoy the gathering of people,” shared Muraleedharan from Kannamkulangara.
Around 1,000 decorative umbrellas, polished caparisons, foot-chains for 15 elephants, neck adornments for 115 jumbos, the main ‘kolam’ (on which the idol of the deity is kept) to be used for ‘kudamattom’, and 15 sets of ‘aalavattam’ and ‘venchamaram’ are usually exhibited at the chamaya pradarshanam.
Hundreds of artists from in and around Thrissur worked for months to prepare the chamayam, a unique experience of Thrissur Pooram. “Though it is actually a competition between Thiruvamabady and Paramekkavu to showcase their best collections, there is a sense of camaraderie. Pooram celebrations make us more closer,” said one of the volunteers of the Thiruvambady faction. The Chamaya Pradarshanam will conclude on May 5 midnight.
