Sree Poornathrayeesa at Tripunithura was the first among the eight royal temples of the old Kochi kingdom, in the town the Cochin royal house made its seat. That status is not decorative. It is why the festival here is the size it is.
Vrischikotsavam
The annual Vrischikotsavam runs for fifteen days in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, roughly November into December. More than forty elephants take part.
That number is worth pausing on. A large Kerala temple festival might field a dozen. Forty-plus is Thrissur Pooram territory, and it comes from a specific tradition here: Poornathrayeesa is described as loving elephants, and the scale of the elephant line-up at his festival is understood as an expression of that rather than as spectacle for its own sake.
Around the elephants runs a full programme of Kerala temple arts — melam, panchavadyam, thayambaka, madhalapattu, kombupattu and kuzhalpattu. For anyone who cares about Kerala percussion, this is one of the significant fifteen-day stretches in the state’s calendar, and it is a short drive from central Kochi.
- Vrischikotsavam — fifteen days in Vrischikam (roughly November–December), with more than forty elephants.
- Uthram Vilakku — the deity’s birthday celebration, in Kumbham (roughly February–March).
- First among the eight royal temples of the erstwhile Kochi kingdom; Tripunithura was the royal seat.
- Percussion programme: melam, panchavadyam, thayambaka, madhalapattu, kombupattu, kuzhalpattu.
- Dates follow the Malayalam calendar and move each year. Confirm before travelling.
The fire, and what it forced
In 1920 a major fire destroyed much of the temple, and specifically the sanctum, which — like most Kerala temple sanctums — was built extensively in wood. Carved timber is the defining material of Kerala religious architecture and it is also, obviously, the reason so little of it is old.
What happened next is the part that makes this temple unusual in the history of Kerala building. It was redesigned and rebuilt in concrete — reportedly the first Kerala temple to be built in the material.
That is a considerable thing to have done in the 1920s at the principal temple of a royal house. It means a tradition that had rebuilt in timber after every previous fire decided, once, not to — and the decision was taken at the most conservative possible address.
What to do with the visit
If you can be in Kochi during Vrischikam, be here. Fifteen days is a long window and you do not need the biggest night — an ordinary evening of the festival, with a melam running and elephants standing in line, is more than most visitors to Kerala ever see.
Outside the festival it is a large, calm, important temple in a town full of them, and it pairs naturally with Hill Palace a short distance away, which is the other half of what the Cochin royal house left at Tripunithura. Standard Kerala rhythm: early poojas, long midday closure, evening reopening. Active temple, so inner-area entry is generally restricted to Hindus, with a dress code at the gate.
Frequently asked questions
What is Vrischikotsavam?
The annual festival of the Poornathrayeesa temple at Tripunithura — fifteen days in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, roughly November into December, with more than forty elephants taking part and a full programme of Kerala temple arts including melam, panchavadyam, thayambaka, madhalapattu, kombupattu and kuzhalpattu.
Why are there so many elephants?
Poornathrayeesa is described in tradition as loving elephants, and the scale of the line-up at his festival is understood as an expression of that. Forty-plus is exceptional even by Kerala standards, where a large festival might field a dozen.
What happened in 1920?
A major fire destroyed much of the temple, including the sanctum, which was built extensively in wood as Kerala temple sanctums generally are. The temple was then redesigned and rebuilt in concrete — reportedly the first Kerala temple to be built in that material.
What is Uthram Vilakku?
The celebration of the deity’s birthday, falling in the Malayalam month of Kumbham, roughly February to March. It is the temple’s other major annual occasion alongside Vrischikotsavam.
How important is this temple?
It was the first among the eight royal temples of the erstwhile Kochi kingdom, in Tripunithura, the town the Cochin royal house made its seat. That status is the reason the festival operates at the scale it does.
What should I combine it with?
Hill Palace, a short distance away in the same town — the other half of what the Cochin royal house left at Tripunithura. Note that Hill Palace closes on Mondays, and that the temple keeps the standard Kerala rhythm of early poojas, a long midday closure and an evening reopening.