THRISSUR: The cultural capital of Thrissur was blessed with good weather during the kudamattom ceremony, despite an orange alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department for the region on Sunday. The joy of the Thrissur Pooram was at its peak, and the Thiruvambady faction joined the wagon of Messi fans by showcasing a custom-made umbrella featuring Messi carrying the World Cup.
Thrissur Pooram, arguably the longest open-air performance in the world, unites friends, families, and strangers to sway to the beat of melam. “It is a feeling of oneness with the crowd, the sound, the heat, the sweat, the dust,” shared Gokul Padoor, a true Thrissurian and part of Thrissur on a Cycle, a cyclers’ club.
Tusker Ernakulam Shivakumar carried the ‘thidambu’ (idol) of Paramekkavu Bhagavathy as they ascended the southern gate of Sree Vadakkumnathan temple while Thiruvambady Chandrasekharan carried the ‘thidambu’ of Thiruvambady Bhagavathy. After offering tributes at the Sakthan Thampuran statue, the caparisoned elephants faced each other in preparation for the highly anticipated Kudamattom ceremony.
This year, the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu factions had agreed to restrict the duration of Kudamattom to one hour. However, as the competition reached its climax, both factions continued to display their specially crafted parasols without disappointing the sea of crowds at Thekke Gopura Nada.
The ceremony began with the Paramekkavu faction raising green parasols, to which the Thiruvambady faction replied with yellow parasols, both made of pure silk material. As the wait for special umbrellas continued, Paramekkavu raised theirs first on the theme of Pulikkali. Amid screams and claps, Thiruvambady replied with umbrellas on the theme of Lord Shiva.
Like the ‘Messi Kuda’, the special umbrella of the Paramekkavu faction was Lord Ganapathi’s figure made out of Ramacham (Vettiver).