Thrissur Pooram, a major temple festival of Kerala that used to draw thousands of tourists apart from devotees, was held in a comparatively deserted Thekkinkadu ground premises of the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur city on Friday.
Owing to the Covid-19 second wave, the government was forced to impose a ban on public participation in the pooram. Last year's pooram was also limited to just rituals in view of the Covid-19 situation.
This time the events like parading of elephants, 'Kudamattam' (exchange of decorative umbrellas) and percussion performance on Friday were scaled down to the minimum. Only 16 elephants took part in the pooram and only those associated with conducting the events were allowed to enter the premises. All were also mandated to undergo Covid-19 test before participation.
The Thrissur Pooram events began on Thursday with the 'Pooram Vilambaram' (festival proclamation) and will culminate with fireworks on the early hours of Saturday.
Heavy police deployment was enacted in the city to prevent public gatherings.
Published 23 April 2021, 16:33 IST