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Trichur, 78 km north of Cochin on National Highway, lies at the base of a hillock, crowned by the famous Vadkkumnathan (Shiva) temple. Noted for its old palace, forts, temples, the reptile collection and the celebrated Pooram festivals, celebrated at the Vadakkumnathan Temple every year during April-May. One of the South India's biggest festivals, it offers a spectacular show in the form of a procession of 30 richly caparisoned elephants and excellent fireworks in the end.
This former capital of Cochin state was captured by Zamorin and later by Tipu Sultan in the second half of the 18th Century. The famous pooram festival is The Kerala Sahitya Academy and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy are located in Trichur.
General information
Altitude: Sea level
Rainfall:
254 cm
Best Season: October to March
Temperature: Summer- Max 35, Min 22.5; Winter- Max 32.3, Min 20
STD Code:
0487
How to get there
Air
The nearest airport is Cochin 78 km connected with Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Goa, Madras, Trivandrum.
Rail
Trichur is a Railway station directly connected with Bombay.
Road
Trichur is connected by road with many tourist centers in south India. Cochin- 78 km, Coimbatore- 114 km, Kalady- 55 km, Kanyakumari- 376 km, Madras- 720 km, Palghat- 67 km, Palani- 229 km, Rameswaram- 222 km, Udhagamandalam (Ooty)- 202 km etc.
In and around
Vadakkumnathan Temple
This temple is a classic example of the Kerala Style of architecture. The temple contains the sacred shrines of Paramashiva, Parvathy, Sankaranayana, Ganapathi, Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. The central
shrines and Koothambalam exhibit exquisite vigettes carved in wood. Legend goes that Parasurama founded this temple. Trichur Pooram, the grandest temple pageantry in Kerala is celebrated here in April every year.
Town Hall
An imposing building with a Chitralayam or a picture gallery where mural paintings from all parts of Kerala are exhibited.
Shakthan Thampuran Palace
Also known as Palace Thoppu, the campus covers an area of 6 acres. Here you can see three tombs including that of the renowned Shakthan thampuran
Saint Thomas Memorial
Kodungalloor (Cranganore) formerly called Muziris was the spot where the apostle St. Thomas is believed to have landed in 52 AD. The St. Thomas church established by the apostle houses holy relics from the olden days.
Kalady
55 km Kalady, a pilgrim Centre, is situated on the banks of the river Periyar. It is the birth place of Sri Sankaracharya, the great Indian Philosopher who lived in the 8th Century. There are two Shrines in memory of Sri Sankaracharya, one dedicated to him as Dakshinamurthy & the other to the goddess Sharada. Their is an ancient Sri Krishna Temple close by, which was the family temple of Adi Sankaracharya. Another temple known as the International Temple dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna Deva, was completed in April 1976
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