Elephants and Kerala share a deep relation. An elephant costs up to 70 lakh rupees in Kerala. Yet it’s the proud of every rich Keralite of Thrissur district to buy an elephant of his own. Elephants are used in every procession, temple festivals, cultural ceremonies and functions to attract tourists as well as beautify the function. Obviously they share a significant place too. It’s a spectacular sight to watch elephants with golden accessories standing in a row or doing a procession along with their mahouts and fan followers.

Now let me describe in brief how elephants are used during temple festivals. Elephants decorated with aalavattam, garlands, nettipattam and venchamaram are a part of temple festivals of Kerala. In southern districts of Kerala, during annual celebrations of temple, only 3 or 5 elephants will be used; less risky too. But it’s not the case of elephant festivals of middle Kerala, known as ‘aana pooram’. In Arattupuzha Pooram and Thrissur Pooram, more than 100 elephants will be used. They stand in two rows opposite to each other in temple ground, the leader of each group carry the goddess statue – an honour of those prominent elephants during poorams. In middle Kerala, festivals are known as Poorams.

In South Kerala and North Kerala, a custom is there – Paravaikkal. During elephant para, elephants will accompany the main priest to each and every home that places the offerings to the temples. The offerings are placed in a ‘para’, an ancient measurement used to measure rice. You can place 1, 3, 5 or any odd number of paras during this ceremony. Things commonly placed include rice, fruits, coins and even silver or gold!

But most important of all is temple procession. When decorated elephants are accomapanied by panchavadyam of 5 traditional musical instruments including chendamelam it becomes a part of Kerala culture. It’s the distinct foot mark of Kerala in the cultural map of India. Centuries and time pass by in quick succession. Yet certain things are not changing. Elephant poorams, crowd during such occasions and the dancing crowd are the best examples to know that elephants play a significant part in rising Kerala in the tourist and cultural map of the world.    

Article Posted By : Sandhya Rani  On April 23, 2013lView All Articles

I love aana pooram, yet i can't tolerate cruelty shown to them

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http://www.veethi.com/articles/significance-of-elephants-in-festivals-of-kerala-article-2057.htm

Keywords :
elephants of Kerala , temple festivals of kerala