Thrissur Pooram, the two-century-old annual festival at the Vadakkunnathan Shiva temple in Kerala's Thrissur district, is set to make a comeback after it was cancelled last year in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival is slated to be held on April 23, 2021. However, it remains to be seen if the pooram would be held with the same level of grandeur as can be expected of one of Kerala's largest poorams and synonymous with its tradition.
A final decision will be taken after studying the prevailing COVID situation in the state, Agriculture Minister VS Sunil Kumar said.
Chairing a meeting between key members of devaswoms and representatives from the health, police and forest departments on Saturday, the minister constituted a committee to study the situation and prepare a report. It will be submitted to the government for final approval.
"If we get the approval, the celebration will be done more elaborately," the minister said.
Thrissur Collector S Shanavas too was of the opinion that given the space that the temple has, a sound crowd management plan could be put together.
It was the first time in 58 years that the pooram was reduced to a ritual-only event in 2020. The last time it happened was during the Indo-China war in 1962.
Instituted by the royal decree of Raja Rama Varma (Shakthan Thampuran), the then ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Cochin in 1798, Thrissur Pooram is a grand display of elephants, parasols, melams and fireworks.