Uthralikavu Pooram, Thrissur: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Uthralikavu Pooram is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

Uthralikkavu Temple is some two kilometres north of Wadakkanchery on the Kodungallore-Shoranur state highway. Just aside the Thrissur - Shoranur Railway line, amidst the paddy fields and surrounded by a chain of highlands and hills, the temple compound forms a rather arena-like stage where the Pooram and its associated features such as elephant procession, fireworks, percussion orchestra etc. would be held. Despite the fact that the temple is rather small in size compared to its counterparts in Kerala and that it is located at an isolated rural part of the district, during the festival season, the temple and the village raises to media attraction and news fame.

Festivals & Rituals at Uthralikavu Pooram

The Uthralikkavu festival is conducted during early summer every year. The festival flag-hoisting (kodiyettam കൊടിയേറ്റം) takes place on the second Tuesday of Kumbha (കുംഭമാസം), the month of the Malayalam Kollam era. (This is the same day that another important local festival, Machad Mamangam(മച്ചാട് മാമാങ്കം), takes place. Towards the end of following seven days, on next Tuesday, as part of the valedictory functions, the actual Pooram is conducted.

Pooram is a Kerala Hindu ritual festival in which generally caparisoned elephants are led in a controlled and organized procession. At Uthralikkavu Pooram, three teams, each from neighboring village temples Enkakkad, Kumaranellur and Wadakanchery participate. Each team normally presents seven to eleven elephants, all decorated with traditional trunk masks (netippaTTam നെറ്റിപ്പട്ടം), shields (aalavaTTamആലവട്ടം) and fans(veNchaamaram വെൺചാമരം). The elephant positioned at the middle will also have a large plaque (thiTamp തിടമ്പ് or kOlam കോലം)on its top which represents the deity. There are many festivals in kerala used to celebrate like this. Some of them are Thrissur Pooram, Nenmara Vallangi Vela, Vairankode vela, Arattupuzha pooram, chinakathur pooram etc.

Apart from the elephant procession, at Uthralikkavu, there also held are Kuthira Vela (a procession with wooden horse) and a variety of such other events dedicated by various communities.