Trichur / Thrissur / Trissur - die kulturelle Hauptstadt von Kerala

Trichur (10⁰32^'nördlicher Breitengrad und 76⁰15^' östlicher Längengrad), die Kreisstadt des gleichnamiges Landkreises,  versteht sich als die kulturelle Hauptstadt von Kerala.
Trichur liegt ungefähr in der Mitte des Bundesstaates Kerala und ist aufgrund eines gut vernetztes Straßen- und Schienensystem, dem nahegelegenen Internationalen Nedumbassery Flughafen Kochi (Cochin, Ernakulam)and dem Seehafen Kochi national und internationalleicht erreichbar.

Die Stadt ist auf einem ansteigenden Gelände gebaut, auf dessen Anhöhe sich die älteste und größte Tempelanlage des Landes befindet, die seit dem 8 Jhd. AD berühmte Vadakunnathan Tempelanlage. Die  sie umgebende mächtige hohe Mauer mit ihren wuchtigen mehrstöckig gestalteten Torbauten auf allen vier Seiten  bildet den wunderbaren Hintergrund für den Prunk des berühmten Trichur Puramfests, das jedes Jahr in der Zeit zwischen März und April stattfindet. Außerhalb der Tempelmauer ist ein freies Gelände, das einst mit einenm dichten Teakholzbaumwald bedeckt war und deshalb Tekkinkadu (Teakholzbaumwald) genannt wird. Die Gesamtfläche dieser Anlage einschließlich dem offenen Gelände misst ungefähr 3.6 Hektar und wird umkreist  von einer breiten Ringstraße, von wo aus sich sternförmig die Landstraßen in alle Richtungen ausbreiten.
Der Tempel hat drei Allerheiligste, die Lord Shiva in der Gestalt von Vadakunathan, Sri Sankaranarayanan und Sri Rama gewidmet sind und nach der Legende von Parasurama installiert wurden. Die Wände des Tempels sind mit Gemälden und Skulpturen geschmückt..

Karten

Malayalam language of Kerala thattakam people of the localities where the temples are located

Glossary

Namboodiri	name of the brahmin caste in Kerala
Brahmin	the caste of the priest; the highest caste in the Hindu society
Malayalam	the regional language of Kerala
thattakam	people of the localities where the temples are located
pooram	'the meeting point of all the arts', a temple festival
nettipattam	frontlet of the elephant  = a large piece of cloth with thousands of gold plates stitched together sp closely making it appeal as if they are part of the elephant’s forehead
thidambu	replica of the idol
venchamaram	yak tail fans
alavattom	peacock feathered circular fans
parasol	long stemmed shimmering and glittering ceremonial umbrellas ceremonial umbrellas made out of silk and satin laced with white metal
kudamattam	exchange at incredible speed of parasols, thread by Brahmin priests in ‘dhoties’, flanked by two others standing with the venchamaram and alavattomaloft the backs of the tuskers
koodikazhcha	face-to-face procession  (the 'kudamattam' along with the 'koodikazcha' are also known as the divine bazaar
vedikkettu	fireworks
melam	combined drumming
pandi melam	an orchestra of four instruments – the Chenda, the Kuzhal, the Kombu and the Ilathalam, played mainly in the major temple festivals of Kerala like the Thrissur Pooram.
chenda melam	percussion event, featuring the Chenda
panchavadyam	a percussion ensemble , typical of Kerala, consisting of ‘pancha’ (five) (pancha) ‘vadyam’ (instruments):  ‘maddalam’, ‘edakka’, ‘thimila’, ‘ilathalam’ and ‘kombu’.
chenda	a double-headed drum made of soft wood with both ends covered with cowhide. The musical notes of this instrument are adjusted by strings and small bamboo rings. The Chenda is played either with one hand and a stick or with two sticks beating the upper end while being kept in a vertical position by a strap over the player's left shoulder. Deft use of the palms can produce four different tones.  It is the chief accompaniment in Kathakali (the classical dance-drama of Kerala) and the most important percussion instrument played during temple festivals.
edakka	an extremely sensitive percussion  instrument. Made of wood and about a quarter meter long,  the drumheads are held in position by interlacing cotton  threads. The player beats the drum with one hand while  simultaneously manipulating the strings with the other, thus  creating a variety of musical notes.
ilathalam	a native version of the  cymbals
kombu	a horn (kombu). It is a C-shaped wind instrument made of brass or  copper. Its shrill blare helps in subduing the pitch of the other  instruments
maddalam	known since the 13th century -  is considered to be a ‘deva’ (divine) ‘vadya’ (instrument), included as a major accompaniment in the 'Dance of Lord Siva, the Destroyer'. There are two varieties: Suddha maddalam and Toppi  maddalam. The former is tied around the waist of the player  with a cloth, while the latter is a smaller version suspended  from the neck of the player. Barrel shaped and carved from  jack wood, both ends of the maddalam are covered with stretched hide and fastened by leather straps. It is also an  important instrument in art forms like the Kathakali, Krishnanattom and Tullal
thimila	an hour-glass shaped drum made from polished jackwood. The drumheads made of calf hide are held together by leather braces which are also twined round the waist of the drum.  This mechanism helps in adjusting the tension and controlling the sound. It is a must during temple rituals like Seeveli, a ceremonial procession of deities.
devi	goddess
sastha	divine combination of Shiva and Vishnu
paradevatha	family deityv