Tripping in Thrissur

Temples, a church, a dance and performing arts university, a wedding, an ammama, appams, and quiet flows the Nila.


The Swaraj Round, located at the centre of Thrissur town in central Kerala in southern India, is said to be among the largest traffic roundabouts in the world. About two kilometres in circumference, it encircles 65 acres of the Thekkinkadu maidan. Within the maidan, the Vadakkunnathan temple sprawls serenely over nine acres of well tended lawns and walkways within four imposing gopurams facing the north, south, east, and west.

Vadakkunnathan temple, together with the Thiruvambady Sri Krishna temple on Shornur Road less than a kilometer to the north and the Paramekkavu Bhagavathi temple to the east just across the Swaraj Round, are the three principal temples that participate in the annual Thrissur Pooram, one of India’s largest and most colourful temple festivals.

A short walk from the Swaraj Round, in the middle of busy streets and lanes, the white walls and towers of the Our Lady of Dolours Basilica soar into the sky. Though you’d get quizzical looks if you ask directions for Dolours Basilica — everyone there calls it Puthanpalli.

In one of the lanes around Puthanpalli is the much vlogged about Vellapangadi — a row of family-run shops that make and supply different types of appams from vellapams to achappams to vattayappams. During our visit we met and spoke with one of the shop owners who was instantly familiar to us because of a YouTube video she figures in.

We stayed at Hotel Gurukripa, a charming and very centrally located old hotel with a heritage makeover complete with tiled roofs, colonnades, verandas and stone paved walkways. The hotel is a few paces away from Pathans and Bharath, Thrissur’s top rated vegetarian restaurants. If you prefer non-vegetarian food, the popular Sapphire hotel is just a short walk away.

One of the reasons for our visit was a 95 years-plus ammama (uncle). A spry gent who has managed estates and headed plantation companies, he continues to lead a fairly active life pursuing identity and religious interests.

A second reason for our visit was a wedding in the larger family. The Hyatt Regency, just outside town, was the plush setting.

The third and final reason for our visit was the Day with the Masters, a guided tour of Kerala Kalamandalam, the dance and performing arts university 30 kilometres from Thrissur in Cheruthuruthy beside the Nila river. But that deserves a write up of its own. Watch this space for more!

(All photos and videos by the author.)

Coming up:
A visit to Varikkassery mana
The Day with the Masters tour at Kerala Kalamandalam.