Click to play videoThrissur: Residents of Thrissur are in a celebratory mood because the next couple of months mark the season of temple festivals – there are some music, some dancing and a lot of piety.
Almost every little hamlet in the region holds annual festivals to honour local deities.
One of the first such festivals in this season, is at the Thechikottukavu Bhagavathi Temple in Peramangalam.
The festival is an elaborately planned affair – it’s high point being the performance of traditional art forms.
Artists dress up as gods and goddesses, and dance to the rhythm of the traditional drum – chenda.
“The festival of this temple is very famous. It has been celebrated every year for several decades. During the festival we present several traditional art forms like the Theyyam. We present several traditional art forms like Puthan, Nayadi and Thira, the traditional art forms of Kerala. It has years of history to its credit,” said Artist Krishnankutty.
Many of such art forms are slowly dying out. It’s festivals like these, which help keep the tradition alive and give the artists a livelihood.
“The temple goddess takes care of us, so we honour her by performing Theyyam in all its grandeur. It’s a talent we have inherited from our forefathers,” said Theyyam Artist Bhaskaran.
Exquisite effigies of deities are also made and paraded in the temple procession. The Thechikottukavu festival draws huge crowds, from neighbouring areas and even from abroad.
“It is not the first time that I am in Kerala, but it is the first time that I have seen such a nice festival,” said Anne, a tourist from Austria.
Once the festival ends at a place, artists move on to take part in the festival at the next village.
The most important festival the season is the world famous Thrissur Pooram, held in the April-May period.
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