A. THE NAME TRICHUR ALIAS THRISSUR:-

The word 'Trichur' is the anglicized form of the Malayalam name of the town 'Thri-Siva-Perur', meaning the town of Lord Siva. The name is appropriate, for Trichur derives its main glory from Vadakunnathan Temple, (Vadakunnathan, Lord of the North, is a name of Siva) that dominates the topography of the town.

of Buddism and Jainism and the establishment of the supremacy of Brahminism during the revival of Hinduisum, Trichur became an important centre of Sanskrit learning. The great Sankara Acharya had taught Advaita here. After his travels in different regions of India he is believed to have come back and settled in Trichur and died here. Sankara Acharya's disciples Hastamalaka, Thotaka. Padmapada and Sudhachara established in the town four Madhams, namely the Northern Madham, the Middle Madham, the ln-Between Madham and the Southern Madham respectively, all of which are extant except the In-Between one.

Thrissur Pooram:-

The leading elephant of each procession bears the image of the deity of the particular temple from which the procession starts. By about 3 p. m. all the processions reach the Vadakunn- athan Temple, where the Durbar of gods and goddesses is held in grand style. The temple grounds are filled with milling crowds, and one by one the gorgeously caparisoned tuskers emerge from the Southern Gopuram with their riders as the crowds cheer. Fifteen elephants of one group now stand facting the Gopuram, awaiting their compeers who too emerge in single file and spread out facing the first row. A grand display of parasols of variegated hues to the accompaniment of waving of yak-tail and peacock fans, now takes place, each group frequently changing their parasols. The rays of the evening Sun turn the brilliant trappings of elephants, the rainbow hues of the parasols and the white and blue of the waving fans into a riot of colour. The display goes on till about sunset to the applause of the surving crowds. For systematic organisation, Pageantry, for the selection of tuskers and colourful gaiety, there is hardly any festival in India to rival pooram. The night is enlivened by the display of fire works for which Trichur has been famous for centuries, and it lasts till dawn.

An all-India Exhibition is held at the temple grounds for about a month, during the pooram season. In the political convulsion that rent Kerala after the disruption of the Second Chera Empire, Trichur too, like many cities and towns of Kerala, suffered a set back. Things had come to such a pass that Vadakkunnathan Temple itself was neglected and a teak forest grew around it. It is interesting to note that the present extensive temple ground, about 63 acres in area, is even now called Thekinkad (Teak Forest). the by-gone glory of the town was revived by Sakthan Thampuran, the enlightened Maharajah of Cochin (1790-1805), This was the time when the struggle for empire by the European powers and their incessant wars for the supremacy of Kerala coast made the traditional residence of the Cochin rulers at Thripunithura, near Cochin, unsafe, and Sakthan Thampuran decided to shift his residence to Trichur because of its salubrious climate and comparative safety from the depredations of the naval powers of the West. He had the teak forest cleared, revived the cultural traditions of the town, and built it up as a commercial centre too. It was, in fact, Sakthan Thampuran who settled several Syrian Christian families in the town from their business centres in adjoining areas, and these astute business men with their traditional flair for trade soon built up Trichur into the most flourishing centre of internal trade in Kerala. Their financial acumen has been mainly responsible for founding and building up the Kuri system of financing which has now become an all-India institution, and for making Trichur the most important banking centre in Kerala. The town is also famous for its gold and jewellery business. The contribution of Christians for making Trichur, the Cultural Capital of Kerala is not little

C. PRESENT DAY TRICHUR

 The demographic set up of the town provides a fine example of peaceful co-existence of different communities. Their shrines and places of worship deserve some mention. The most imposing of these is the Vadakkunnathan Temple, with its four stately Gopurams at the cardinal points, and the extensive temple grounds around. Like most of the temple cities of the South, the main streets and business houses are located around the temple grounds. The temple ground is the Lung of the own, the resort of citizens in the evenings particularly in the dry season. The Municipal Nehru Gardens and the Children's Park situated near the eastern Gopuram, provide an added attraction for evening strollers.
Besides the Vadakkunnathan Temple there are numerous temples in Trichur, large and small, most of them dedicated to the ancient mother-goddesses of the land.
Of the churches, the most impressive is the basilica of Our Lady of Dolours. Built in fine Indo-Gothic style, it has soaring belfries at the entrance, double storeyed aisles all along the nave and transepts, and eleven altars, five on either side of the main one. It is the largest church in India and its exuberant interior decorations include fine specimens of murals, images of saints and scenes from the scriptures. The constuction of this biggest church in India was done in different phases. Under the leadership of the famous architect Jnanaprakasam from Madras, the church construction started in the year 1929. The church was consecrated by its founder Mar Francis Vazhappilly in the year 1940. The two front towers of 146 ft height each and the beautiful main altar of Our Lady of Dolours were constructed in the year 1995. It is hoped that the construction of the third tower - the tallest in Kerala - will be over by 2004. This Church is one of the main tourist attractions of Trichur.

The 'Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is also a beautiful and big Church, the Centenary of which was celebrated during the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Trichur in 1986. The well decorated underground chapel of the Cathedral is a big attraction.

The Marth Mariyam Church, constructed in the year 1814, is the first church of Trichur town. At present it is the Cathedral of the Metropolitan of the Church of the East.

The Muslims too were settled in Trichur by Sakthan Thampuran, a monarch noted for his liberal religious views, but their present numerical strength is not considerable. They have, however, five mosques in Trichur Municipal area.

Perhaps nowhere else in India do communities live in such amity and good will as in Trichur. All communities participate in temple and church festivals, and the popular gaiety is shared by all alike.

Trichur has a spacious stadium, and football and hockey tournaments are popular annual events. Two major indoor stadia exist for Badminton, Volley Ball, Basket Ball. etc. for convenience of tournaments during rainy weather and at night. The stadium built in the extensive grounds where Tippu's army camped, has a slab erected at the site commemorating the Mysore Sultan's invasion. Near the stadium is Sakthan Thampuran's old palace with masonry gateways; these are protected monuments. Close by is the modern Regional Theatre which also houses the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. Adjoining the Theatre is Rama Nilayam, a stately edifice built in pure Kerala architectural style, now a tourist home but formerly the Residence of the Political Agents of the British period. Close by is the spacious Town Hall in the front portion of which is the Public Library and Reading Room. Next to the Town Hall is the office of Kerala Sahitya Akademi, the most important literary institution of Kerala. There are two aquatic complexes also in the corporation area.

With the regional offices of Lalitha Kala Akademi, Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi located here, and the Kala Mandalam, founded by Poet Vallathol and now a famous International Centre for the study and exposition of the classical arts of Kerala, situated not far from the town, Trichur is, in every sense, the cultural capital of Kerala. Of the major tourist attractions of Trichur are the Zoo, and the Museum with an archeological section. The snake house is particularly rich in reptiles, and practically all varieties of snakes of Kerala, poisonous and non-poisonous can be seen here. The exhibits in the Archeological Museum include rare ancient Roman gold coins from hoards found in Kerala, and copies of murals from various churches of Kerala and the Mattanchery palace.

Peechi Dam, constructed for irrigation and for supplying water to the town, is a Tourist's Paradise situated in the hills, fourteen miles to the south east of the town. The entire area is richly endowed by nature and man. On the south bank of the dam rises an observation tower which commands a panoramic view of the surrounding hills, valleys and lakes, on the north is the Government Rest House providing accommodation and meals for visitors. Fountains and flower beds grace the terraced slopes of the hillside, and the valley below. A tour to this beautiful site is a rewarding experience for visitors to Trichur. Boat rides in the lake are arranged by the Engineering Department at the site.

In keeping with the tradition of the Trichur District, the Archdiocese of Trichur also has a large number of monuments and historical sites having great creations of art and architecture. Arnos Pathiri the well known German missionary and scholar stayed in Veloor and Pazhuvil in this Archdiocese. It is believed that he played a major role in the construction of the churches at these places and also at Ollur.

These churches are today treasure houses of Kerala's wealth of wood carvings, granite sculptures, mural paintings, metal work etc. There are also a large number of other churches here which are well known for their antiquity and abundance of artistic artifacts. Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is one of the most frequented tourist attractions of the area. The underground church there is a masterpiece of architectural designing.

The Dolours Basilica of Trichur is considered the biggest church in the whole of Asia and is constructed in the classic tradition of the Gothic.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours, Trichur (The Biggest Church in India)

The third tower is inaugurated on 11th January, 2004.