KOCHI: By the time the first beats rolled through Tripunithura on Sunday, the streets were already packed. Families were looking for a vantage point, children perched on shoulders, youngsters holding up phones and cameras, and regular visitors waiting for a spectacle they have watched year after year.
A brief morning drizzle had done little to dampen the mood. As the Athachamayam set off, the sun was out and Tripunithura had turned into a long, colourful stage. Thousands lined the streets for the Athachamayam procession, heralding the arrival of Onam.
There is a reason the town wears Onam differently. Athachamayam carries the history of the erstwhile Kochi royal family. The tradition recalls the royal procession that once marked Atham, when the maharaja and his entourage would make their way through the streets of the town. Cut to the present, on Atham day, the town still retraces that memory with artists, floats, tableaux, and thousands of spectators.
The procession began at Atham Nagar -- Government Boys’ School ground -- after Chief Minister V D Satheesan inaugurated the ceremony. Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob hoisted the Atham flag and actor Jagadish flagged off the procession at 10.30am.
An announcement vehicle led the nearly four-hour procession as ‘Mahabali’ greeted the crowds. Behind it came 101 displays and around 400 artists that brought together the state’s traditional art forms like pulikali, theyyam, kalaripayattu, oppana, and margamkali, along with vivid depictions of popular deities, music, percussion, and elaborate tableaux.
Students, Haritha Karma Sena workers, and healthcare workers also participated. Characters from ‘Spadikam’ and ‘Thenmavin Kombathu’ appeared among the displays, while a ‘Bumblebee Transformer’ became an instant attraction for children.
Students walked with placards carrying messages against drugs and in support of physical and mental health. A pavilion for differently abled children drew visitors, including the chief minister.
The procession moved through the Bus Stand Road, Statue, Kizhakkekotta, S N Junction, Vadakkekotta and Poornathrayeesha Temple Road before returning to Atham Nagar. In the days to come, the town will host many performances which will conclude on August 25.
Govt ready to develop Tripunithura as a heritage town: Chief minister
Noting that Tripunithura should be developed as a heritage town to preserve its royal grandeur and cultural heritage, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the government is ready for it if elected representatives and the municipality join hands beyond party politics and submit a comprehensive proposal for the purpose.
The chief minister was inaugurating the opening ceremony of the Athachamayam procession organised as part of Atham 2026 at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Tripunithura on Sunday.“More than 50 palaces and historical monuments that once existed in Tripunithura need to be preserved.
The model followed by foreign countries in preserving centuries-old monuments should be adopted here as well. The historical remains in Tripunithura should be protected and modelled on the preservation of Paliathachan’s Nalukettu and Oottupura and the Dutch Palace at Chendamangalam under the Muziris Heritage Project,” Satheesan said.
The chief minister also congratulated the women’s kathakali troupe in Tripunithura, a centre of traditional performing arts including kathakali, on completing 50 years.