Thrissur Tour & Travel Guide

A Memorable Jaunt into the Culture Capital of Kerala

Previously known as Trichur, Thrissur is a one of the largest cities in central Kerala. Also one of the oldest cities and legends mention that this place was created by Lord Parasurama, the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, by creating a huge Shiva temple, here. The entire city is developed around the ancient Shiva temple, called Vadakumnathan Temple. Popularly known as the cultural capital of Kerala, this city has many temples, mosques, churches, and various cultural, religious and spiritual leanings centers, which have been here since ages. Classical dance schools, music schools, museums, cultural institutions, art centers and other spiritual learning centers glorify this city’s existence and ethnicity. The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Lalithakala Akademi and Sahitya Academy have their prominent presence here.

It has been sighted in history that this city in early centuries was a prime Buddhist center. Then came the imperial Chera period. It was during this phase, the city became the epicenter of Chera Army, as it was close by in distance to the imperial capital Thiruvanchikulam. Perumpadappu Swaroopamthey dynasty took over the place after the downfall of the Chera Kingdom and later founded the Kochi Kingdom. The city was abandoned after severe battles between Kochi and Kozhikode's Zamorins. Nevertheless, Thrissur was a scholastic center then and had several prominent Hindu Nampoothiri families, in & around the region, who were proficient in Vedas and Ayurveda and maintained the sanctity of this place as a learning center. Thrissur then became an important Sanskrit learning center. Present day’s Thrissur city, owes its existence to the celebrated Kochi King, H.H Sakthan Thampuran. He moved this capital from Kochi to Thrissur and laid foundations of the modern day Thrissur.

Thrissur has a large number sightseeing options and the prominent ones being well-known temples such as the Vadakkumnathan temple, Paramekkavu temple, Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple and the Guruvayur temple. This place also has two famous churches, the Our Lady of Lourdes Syro-Malabar Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral and the Our Lady of Dolours Syro-Malabar Catholic Basilica. Apart from these shrines, other attractions here include the Shakthan Thampuran Palace – also known as Vadakkechira Palace, which is a confluence of Kerala & Dutch style architecture built in 1795. Sri. Ramavarma Thampuran of Cochin, had built this palace and it is well preserved by Archaeological Department. The other attraction here is the Archeological & Art Museum, which holds a good collection of wood carved artifacts of the past, metal sculptures of the bygone era and ancient jewelers. Families travelling here can visit the Thrissur Zoo, which is a good attraction for children. The Appan Thampuran Smarakam is also a cultural museum, worth a visit. The Basilica of Our Lady of Dolores, Vilangan Kunnu amusement park, and Anakotta - Guruvayoor Elephant Sanctuary are good choices for sightseeing. There are a number of other places nearby Thrissur that attract tourist and some of these are Athirappilly Falls, Vazhachal, Punnathur Kotta Elephant Sanctuary, Peechi Dam, Chavakad Beach, Kerala Kalamandalam, Kallayikkunnu etc.

When visiting this part of India, plan your trip accordingly so that you can spend some time here in Thrissur during the famous Thrissur Pooram festival. This is a colorful and spectacular temple festival in Kerala, held on an auspicious day in April or May, as per Hindu calendar.