ARATTUPUZHA POORAM
Aarattupuzha Pooram is a festival celebrated in Arattupuzha village in Thrissur district, Kerala. It is regarded as the oldest temple festival in Kerala. This tradition is believed to be around 2,000 years old; although it was interrupted for a period, records in the manuscripts of Peruvanam Temple mention that it has been conducted continuously again for more than 1,400 years.
Known as the “Mother of all Poorams,” Aarattupuzha Pooram is celebrated as one of the grandest festivals in Kerala because of its ritual importance and magnificent spectacle. The presence of 23 deities and the divine gathering of countless celestial beings makes the festival especially sacred, and the Vaikuntha Darshanam ceremony is given great significance.
At a time when representatives from 108 temples participated, it was considered the largest celebration in Kerala. There is even a proverb: “With the oil used for the lamps at Aarattupuzha Pooram, one could conduct a hundred Thrissur Pooram festivals.”
The grand lamp-lighting ceremony held during the Malayalam month of Meenam at Arattupuzha Temple is what is known as Aarattupuzha Pooram. The smaller Poorams from the temples that attend the earlier Peruvanam Pooram (held two days before) return only after the conclusion of Aarattupuzha Pooram.
On that day, even nearby major temples such as Vadakkunnathan Temple and Koodalmanikyam Temple, as well as temples as far as Suchindram Temple, traditionally used to close their sanctum early in observance of this festival.
