Pooram festival is celebrated annually in various temples of the state that are dedicated to Goddess Durga. This festival is celebrated in the temple, where the people dedicate it to the goddess Durga or Kali. This is held after the summer harvest where elephants are decorated beautifully and are being paraded in the procession that is brought on the temple premises. There are a number of popular forms which can be categorized on the basis of the tradition and culture. Some of the common forms of Pooram festivals are - ThrissurPooram, Kollam Pooram, PariyanampettaPooram. Additionally, one can also find more kinds ofPooram festivals that include - Arattupuzha-PeruvanamPooram, UthralikavuPooram, , NenmaraVallangi Vela, ThirumandhamkunnuPooram and MannarkkadPooram. Some Pooram festivals do not use elephants, but, instead they use horses or bullocks.

Musical Ensembles of Pooram Festival

Different types of musical instruments are used during this Pooram festival. Jazz is a unique instrument that is very popular in Kerala and is used especially during the Pooram festival. . Other than this, traditional music (Melam) likePandiMelam I performed outside the temple. Another kind of music is also used which is called as PanchariMelam, that is similar to the PandiMelam and is played in the temple. Both these kinds of Melams follow different styles and beats. Panchavadhyam is a classical ensemble that uses five different musical instruments, which is followed by fast moving performance and percussion. Similarly, Thayambaka is a solo drum performance, where the players use a single stick to play the instrument

MajorPooram Festivals in Kerala

Thrissur Pooram

ThrissurPooram is considered as the mother of all temple festivals that are celebrated in Kerala. This festival is one of the spectacles, where the two devaswams- Thiruvampadi and Paramekkavu try hard to exploit the sources at their command and make this festival a memorable one. This festival is celebrated with bright and colorful processions that consist of – decorated elephants, drum concerts, parasol exchanges, display of Pyro-techniques, refreshing sense of public participation and many other events. This festival is celebrated in the month of April or May, and features several artistic performances by Thiruvambadi and Paramekkavu groups. These two groups compete with each other for their best performance. The main highlight of the festival is the processions that start from Devi temple and Krishna temple. Tourists will surely enjoy the scene when, the beautifully decorated elephants exchange the umbrellas.

Kollam Pooram

Kollam Pooram is another colorful festival in Kerala that which attracts a large number of tourists from different parts of the country. This festival is directed in coordination with the festival of the Asramam Sri Krishnaswamy Temple that is held annually. This festival is observed in the month of April and is considered as the the festival that has national standards and attracts tourists from all parts of the country. This festival is followed by wonderful fireworks.

Pariyanampetta Pooram

This festival is held at the Pariyanampatta temple, MangalamKunnu, Palakkad. It is the famous festival of Valluvanadu and is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy.