THRISSUR: After a gap of one year, pooram fans and representatives of participating temples are all in joy as the meeting in the presence of Chief Secretary P J Joy on Monday granted permission for organising Thrissur Pooram with all its charm and glory this time, but abiding by the Covid protocol. All ceremonies including kudamattam and parading of the usual number of elephants are allowed.Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu devaswoms along with Cochin Devaswom Board and authorities of other participating temples are all set to start preparations for the pooram and exhibition.
District Collector S Shanavas said the pooram would be conducted this time as demanded by the public and devaswoms, but with Covid protocol in place. He added that an e-ticketing system would be implemented for entering the pooram exhibition. The city police will manage e-ticketing. The meeting decided to control the number of people who can participate in the pooram ceremonies. “A final decision on this will be taken after a joint meeting of the district administration and devaswoms,” Shanavas said.
G Rajesh, secretary of Paramekkavu devaswom, said, “We are happy that the government granted permission for the festival. Now, we can start the preparations without wasting time. Setting up of stalls for the exhibition and making the decorations for chamayam will begin soon. We wanted the officials to take the decision soon. Had we started the preparations without waiting for it, it would have been a wastage of time and money.” He added that the government has given sanction for parading the same number of elephants for the pooram festival as in the past years which is a great support.
The pooram falls on April 23 this year, while its rituals begin seven days before that with flag hoisting. The pooram exhibition used to begin a month before the festival and thousands of people usually visit the hundreds of stalls here. In the wake of Covid restrictions, the number of stalls may come down this time.