Happy Birthday Thrissur

Happy birthday to Thrissur district in Kerala.? The district was formed on 1st July 1949 and today marks the 75th birthday of Thrissur district in Kerala, which is known as the cultural capital of Kerala and the land of poorams. It is the cultural capital of Kerala because of its cultural, spiritual and religious leanings throughout history. The land of ancient temples, churches and mosques. The land of mighty waterfalls, winding backwaters and pristine beaches.

Let us start with the name. The name Thrissur is?a shortened form of the Thirusshivaperoor, which translates to the city with the name?of the Lord Siva. The name owes itself to the most prominent feature of the city, which is the Vadakkumnathan Temple, which has Shiva as its presiding deity. The antiquity of the temple goes to the belief that the temple was found by Parasurama.

The credit for the rise of Thrissur goes to the ruler, Raja Rama Varma, popularly known as Shakthan Thampuran (Shakthan meaning powerful). Thrissur pooram was the brain child of Shakthan Thampuran. Pooram is an annual festival conducted in the temples of Kerala. One must be there to really feel Thrissur Pooram, which is the grandest of all poorams in Kerala. The Pooram consists of ten temples in and around Thrissur and is a ceremony where these deities come together to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at the Vadakkunnathan Temple. One should feel the vibe of the Thrissur Pooram standing there in between the well decorated 30 elephants in 2 rows facing each other (see cover pic), your mind in a trance of the ilanjitharamelam or drum orchestra as is the case of thousands standing there in the hot scorching summer. The other main temples in Thrissur includes Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple (I live near this temple), Kodungalloor Bhagavathi temple, Thriprayar Sree Rama Temple, Koodalmanikyam Bharatha temple etc.?

Thrissur is a place that has conceded space to all major communities and religions. How many of you would believe if I said that Christianity and Islam came to India through Thrissur district. Mala Synagogue in?Thrissur?district is one of the oldest synagogues in India. Legend has that St. Thomas (one of the 12 apostles) landed in Kerala in 52 AD to meet the Jews and he established the first church in Thrissur District, the Palayur Church. Although there are debates about the travels of St. Thomas, It is a certainty that Portuguese were surprised to find Christians in Kerala when they arrived and it is a certainty that Christianity was in Kerala even before the Europeans came. The other famous churches in Thrissur are Holy Cross Shrine, Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours, Our Lady of Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral etc.

Built in 629 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar the first mosque in India is located in Thrissur district. The oral tradition is that Cheraman Perumal, the Chera king, went to Arabia where he met the Prophet and embraced Islam. From there he sent Malik Ibn Dinar to Kerala and established the mosque.? The mosque is now known as the Cheraman Mosque and is located at Kodungallur, Thrissur Dist.

All of this history (or folklore) is linked to Muziris port which holds key to many of Kerala history and the spice trade. The story of Muziris starts from early 3000 BC when Babylonians, Assyrians and Egyptians came to the now Kerala in search for the spices. Later came the Arabs and Phoenicians. Muziris the port city, was among the earliest of its kind in the world. Sangam literature describes Roman ships coming to Muziris laden with gold to be exchanged for pepper. According to the first century annals of Pliny, the Elder and the author of Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, Muziris could be reached in 14 days' time from the Red Sea ports in Egyptian coast purely depending on the monsoon winds. However, tragedy struck when the profile of the water bodies in the Periyar River basin underwent a major transformation - and Muziris became a lost port city due to flood and earthquake.?

The diversity through accommodation of different cultures and religion gives rise to the prosperous Thrissur which later becomes the cultural capital of Kerala. Thrissur also is a place of several cultural institutions and centers of learning that promote various forms of art - the Kerala Kalamandalam (in Cheruthuruthy), Kerala Sahithya Academy, Lalithakala academy, Sangeetha Nadaka academy etc.

Athirapally water falls, which is one of the best?waterfalls?in India and one of the most famous tourist places in Kerala is located in Thrissur district.?This thundering 81.5 feet tall waterfall is on the Chalakudy River, which originates from the Western Ghats. Just like many districts in Kerala, Thrissur stretches from the heights of the western ghats to the shores of the Arabian Sea. There are many pristine beaches in the district which are laced on the shores with coconut trees. A major part of the Kole wetlands, an internationally important Ramsar site of high value biodiversity, is in Thrissur district.

The district also became prominent in the political circles because of the first win for BJP (The ruling party in India) from Kerala in the recent parliamentary elections.

Wishing this place where I live now, the land of rich history, heritage, culture, and natural beauty a very Happy Birthday.