THRISSUR: A fresh chapter has been added to the annals of Thrissur Pooram as Thechikottukavu Ramachandran pushed open the southern entrance of Sree Vadakkumnathan temple, heralding the Thrissur Pooram on Sunday morning. The event was witnessed by all-time record spectators in the history of Pooram with thousands occupying vantage points and thronging the southern side of the temple for a better glimpse of the controversial elephant even hours before the ritual.
Similarly, it was a new precedent in the history of the Pooram that the ‘thidambu’ of the deity (Neithalakkavu Bhagavathy) who first visits the Thrissur Vadakkumnatha temple and opens the door proclaiming the Pooram, was shifted to Ramachandran from another elephant and again shifted back to the old elephant immediately after the ritual. This arrangement was put in place just to make sure Thechikottukavu Ramachandran reached the venue as per the wishes of a section of people.
When the district administration gave the permission for Ramachandran to participate in the Pooram proclamation rally, they placed a slew of restrictions like four mahouts should accompany the elephant and it should not be allowed to walk the entire stretch from the Neithalakkavu Bhagavathy temple near Kuttoor to the town citing security reasons, etc. The police had a harrowing time in the morning as the crowd that thronged the venue even astonished the cops as well. The size of the crowd was almost equal to that of Kudamattom ceremony, the main highlight of Thrissur Pooram.
When the elephant emerged out of the southern entrance opening the door, the Thekkinkadu Maidan reverberated with the chants of ‘Raman’ by the elephant buffs.