Thrissur is best known to outsiders as the venue for Kerala's biggest festival, Puram , which takes place on one day in April/May. Introduced by the Kochi (Cochin) raja, Shaktan Tampuran (1789-1803), Puram is today the most extreme example of the kind of celebration seen on a smaller scale all over Kerala, whose main ingredients invariably include caparisoned elephants, drum music and fireworks .

 

On this day, at the hottest time of year, the centre of Thrissur fills to capacity with a sea of people gravitating towards Round South, where a long wide path leads to the southern entrance of the Vadakkunatha temple complex. Two processions, representing the Tiruvambadi and Paramekkavu temples in Thrissur, compete to create the more impressive sights and sounds. They eventually meet, like armies on a battlefield, facing each other at either end of the path. Both sides present fifteen tuskers sumptuously decorated with gold ornaments, each ridden by three brahmins clutching objects symbolizing royalty: silver-handled whisks of yak hair, circular peacock feather fans, and orange, green, red, purple, turquoise, black, gold or patterned silk umbrellas fringed with silver pendants. At the centre of each group, the principal elephant carries an image of the temple's deity. Swaying gently, the elephants stand still much of the time, ears flapping, seemingly oblivious to the mayhem engendered by the crowds, bomb-like firework explosions and the huge orchestra that plays in front of them.

Known as chenda melam , this quintessentially Keralan music, featuring as many as a hundred loud, hard-skinned, cylindrical chenda drums, crashing cymbals and wind instruments, mesmerizes the crowd while its structure marks the progress of the procession. Each kind of chenda melam is named after the rhythmic cycle ( tala or, in Malayalam, talam ) in which it is set. Drummers stand in ranks, the most numerous at the back often playing single beats. At the front, a line of master drummers, the stars of Keralan music, try to outdo each other with their speed, stamina, improvisational skills and showmanship. Facing the drummers, musicians play long double-reed, oboe-like kuzhals (similar to the north Indian shehnai ) and C-shaped kompu bell-metal trumpets. The fundamental structure is provided by the elatalam - medium-sized, heavy, brass hand-cymbals that resolutely and precisely keep the tempo, essential to the cumulative effect of the music. Over an extended period, the melam passes through four phases of tempo, each a double of the last, from a majestic dead slow through to a frenetic pace.

The arrival of the fastest tempo is borne on a wave of aural and visual stimulation. Those astride the elephants stand at this point, to manipulate their feather fans and hair whisks in co-ordinated sequence while behind, unfurled umbrellas are twirled in flashes of dazzling colour and glinting silver in the sun. Meanwhile, the cymbals crash furiously, often raised above the head, requiring extraordinary stamina (and causing nasty weals on the hands). The master drummers play at their loudest and fastest, frequently intensified by surges of energy emanating from single players, one after another; a chorus of trumpets, in ragged unison, make an ancient noise.

All this is greeted by firework explosions and roars from the crowd; many people punch the air, some fairly randomly much like heavy-metal fans in the West, while others are clearly talam branthans , rhythm "madmen", who follow every nuance of the structure. When the fastest speed is played out, the slowest tempo returns and the procession edges forward, the mahouts leading the elephants by the tusk. Stopping again, the whole cycle is repeated. At night, the Vadukannatha temple entrances are a blaze of coloured lights and a spectacular firework display takes place in the early hours of the morning.

If you venture to Thrissur for Puram, be prepared for packed buses and trains. Needless to say, accommodation should be booked well in advance. An umbrella or hat is recommended. Unfortunately, Puram has become an excuse for groups of Indian men to get very drunk and act in an unpleasant manner; women are advised only go in the morning, or to watch from a safe distance.

Similar but much smaller events take place, generally from September onwards, with most during the summer (April & May). Enquire at a tourist office or your hotel, or ask someone to check a local edition of the newspaper, Mathrabhumi , for local performances of chenda melam , and other drum orchestras such as panchavadyam and tyambaka .