HISTORY

Thrissur has traditionally been a centre of learning. With the decline of Buddhism and Jainism due to the growing supremacy of Brahminism during the revival of Hinduism, Thrissur became an important centre of Sanskrit learning. It is believed that the great Hindu Saint, Adi Shankara, was born in answer to the prayer made by Arayambal and Sivaguru at Vadakkunathan temple. Sankara's disciples Hastamalaka, Thotaka, Padmapada and Sudhachara established four Madoms(mutt) in the city, namely the Northern Madom, the Middle Madom, the ln-Between Madom and the Southern Madom respectively. Thrissur had been visited by other religious icons like Swami Vivekananda, St. Thomas, and Sree Narayana Guru, who fought against the caste system in Hindu religion, founded his first temple in Koorkanchery.

For a brief period, Thrissur was the capital of the Kochi kingdom. The Shaktan Thampuran palace, which was the abode of the Cochin king, Raja Rama Varma, also referred to as Sakthan Thampuran, was recently renovated by the Archeological Survey of India. It was under his reign that Thrissur gained prominence. Raja Rama Varma rebuilt Thrissur from destruction after attacks from the Tipu Sultan's army.

Thrissur city has played a significant part in the political history of South India. Even as early as 1919 a committee of the Indian National Congress was functioning in Thrissur. In the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1921, several people in the city took active part and courted arrest.The vast open area around the Vadakkumnatha temple was a magnificent teak forest called Thekkinkaadu.

GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE

Thrissur is situated in south western India 10.52° N 76.21° E and is in the central part of Kerala state, India. Thrissur is at sea level and spans an area of about 66.15 kmē. The center of the city is the Swaraj Round and it lies around small hillock called Thekin Kaadu Maidan on which the famous Vadakkumnathan temple is located. The poulation of this city, as per 2001 census, is 3,63,816. Population Density per square Kilometer is 3587.

The city enjoys a tropical climate, the monsoons start in June. The months of April-May can get pretty humid which is also one of the best time to visit the city for the famed Thrissur Pooram. The best weather is from October to February.

CULTURE

Thrissur, often hailed as the cultural capital of Kerala, is built around a hillock crowned by the famous Vadakkunathan (Siva) Temple, believed to have been founded by legendary Parasurama. The temple is a classical example of Kerala style of architecture and houses several sacred shrines. It is believed that Adi Shankara spent his last days here.

Thrissur also has added to its name The Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours, popularly known as the New Church [or Puthen Palli in Malayalam]. It is the biggest and tallest church in South Asia. The Metropolitan of the Chaldean Syrian Church (the name used for the Church of the East in India) is also headquartered in Thrissur, and many religious publications are printed by Mar Narsai Press.

The major cultural attraction is the Thrissur Pooram festival, celebrated during April - May, the Elephant - Umbrella Display competition is spectacular, as richly caparisoned elephants carrying ceremonial umbrellas take the deity around the main temple. The passionate drum concerts and the spectacular firework displays are all part of Pooram celebration. Another attraction of this city is the "Puli Kali" ("Puli" = Tiger & "Kali" = Play) on the fourth day of Onam celebrations (Nalaam Onam). It is a procession of different clubs from all over the city and everyone with pastes smeared over their body like the stripes on tiger's body, captivate the onlookers with their energetic dances. It attracts thousands to the city. Also, Thrissur is widely acclaimed as the land of elephant lovers.

Kerala Sahithya Akademy, Sangeetha Nataka Akademy and Kerala Lalithakala Academy are head quartered at Thrissur making the epithet 'cultural capital of Kerala' more meaningful.

Thrissur is also the birth place of Kerala's Indian Coffee House movement. The first ICH of the state opened in Thrissur in 1959 as Advocate T.K. Krishnan and Nadakkal Parameswaran Pillai the founders.

Jos Theater, the first theater in Kerala equipped with a movie-projector, is in this city, . Malayalam, Tamil, English and Hindi movies are being released in the eight major theaters in the city.

Thrissur is also famous in the Indy-Pop Scene. Bands like Seven'(Franco,Sangeeth and Stephen)' and Jigsawpuzzle are from this city.They are the only bands featured on MTV from Kerala.For the last few years, city has been hosting the International Film Festival of Thrissur(IFFT). Around 100 films from 35 countries take part in the festival. It is the second largest film festival in Kerala after the one in Thiruvananthapuram. In 2006, there was another International Film Festival started in Thrissur, named Thrissur International Film Festival(TIFF).