Glimpses of Kerala
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At the Pooram at Thrissur, Kerala, India.
Red Umbrellas on 6 feet bamboo sticks atop majestically tall elephants.
A great visual for the Hindu festivities.
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Thrissur Pooram, the pooram of all Poorams, falls in April every year. It is intrinsically a people’s festival in all respects.
this is a scene from the fire works happening towards the end of the famous Thrissur Pooram (an annual festival of elephants, music and fire works)
Thrissur Pooram, introduced by Shakthan thampuran sum 200 yrs back , is essentially one of spectacles. The two devaswams- Thiruvampadi and Paramekkavu- explore and exploit every source at their command to make this annual festival a memorable one. It is celebrated with a colourful procession of caparisoned elephants, parasol exchanges; drum concerts, display of pyro-techniques and refreshing scenes of public participation.
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For more details : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbopogon
A WDG-3A class locomotive from Ernakulam diesel loco shed entering Shoranur Junction with a passenger train bound for Thrissur from Kozhikode.
Bible tower, located on the site of Thrissur Our Lady of Dolors, Basilica. It is famous for the city sight view and many of the Christian articles and objects stored in it.
SILIGURI 20063 WDP4 Hauling 06084 Hazrat Nizamuddin - Thiruvananthapuram Central SF Special (via Kottayam) at Ollur,Thrissur,KERALA,INDIA
Thrissur Pooram, 2022.
Elephants from different parts of Kerala brought in on the eve of Thrissur Pooram.
Why shouldn't I go for fire...? (Dont misunderstand me, I'm not a smoker.. just for the sake of the shot..)
A rather large belly this and as a result the Lion head is kind of a laughing king of the jungle or maybe more a dormouse but hey it is the girth that matters :)
This is to illustrate the sizes that the stomachs of us human beings can reach and how best we can utilize them effectively and even put it to a social purpose.
DSC_0114 jpeg via ACR
A man with great intestinal presence stands with his legs and arms apart to dry out the body paint. The stomach is where the face of the tiger is drawn.
There are thousands of participants who get to have the body painting done on Pulikali day in August in Thrissur in Kerala. Men endowed with bigger stomachs have a lion drawn on their bellies while the ones with lesser presence in terms of size have leopard face or other lesser cats painted on.
This image is to showcase the work done by hundreds of nameless painters who at one go paint about 10-15 people or more to get them ready for the fanfare.
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Three autorickshaws bearing golden colored Nettillattom and two tusks each run through the streets of Thrissur in Kerala carrying religious symbols of the three dominant religions of Kerala.
A message of Peace and Harmony symbolized beautifully in true Kerala ambiance.
The golden head dress that is in front of the rickshaws is normally an ornament that is adorned on an elephant head.
This was photographed on the day tigers and a few lions roam freely in Thrissur on Pulikali day.
DSC_1778 jpeg via ACR
More from Pulikali where the feline predators rule the street.
A Lion sits on the large stomach of this gentleman as he prances down the street with a Tiger's head on his face.
The paint work is amazing specially keeping in view the fact that the painters work with industrial grade pigments and chemicals and on a tight time schedule with tens of performers at one go.
How the body is affected by the fuming corrosive paint and how they manage to move around without their noses running and eyes smarting beats me. All in the excitement of becoming a predator :)
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The day the Leopards, Lions, Tigers and other ferocious feline predators are let loose on the streets of Thrissur in Kerala.
The slimmer build of the Leopard is visible in the patterns on the forelegs. Most times the Leopards have a Lion on their stomach.
This is a strange leopard though. He has a red faced panther most probably that I have never seen or heard of.
Thrissur has this great spectacle in the month of August every year and it goes by the name of Pulikali. Thousands of these gaily painted creatures take over the streets to the sound of fercocious repetitive manic drumming as the procession winds through this rich prosperous town in Central Kerala.
DSC_1791 jpeg via ACR
Elephants on the eve of "Thrissur Pooram" Which is 200+ years old annual temple festival where the grand display of Elephants, Fireworks, and Caparisons attracts millions of people across the world.
Kerala, Thrissur, 2022
This is Kali as seen and photographed in Thrissur in Kerala where the funky and fesity festival of Pulikali is celebrated every year around May.
Kali is a Goddess and a powerful one at that who held Shiva the mythical destroyer and most powerful of the Gods under her foot when she got angry. Here a male slicked down in flourescent blue paint represents her sans the garland of skulls that she is normally depicted with.
Most of the celebration revolves around big gutted males whose prominence is painted to resemble a lion or a tiger and the body to match. they dance and tramp around on the street.
It was a surprise to see a non feline cast in the event. Perhaps Kali of the red blood dripping tongue had to appear to keep the feline predators at bay.
Jai Mata Di!
DSC_1727 jpeg via ACR
A unique vignette of Kerala is this absolutely fantastic display of feline wildlife comprising of tigers, lions and leopards. It is Onam time. The 4th day of Onam and they gather in their thousands in the town of Thrissur ( earlier called Trichur) . Drums beat up a roar of heavy bass percussion that resonates in the city. It shakes the very foundation of the stone and mason structures through which the tigers and the drum beaters pass. What it does to the ear drums of the human beings and the performers is best not talked about. The sound is deafening and maddening and practicing sanity and conversation is an art form.
It is the male performers with big guts that are inducted into this Tiger Dance ( with a fair sprinkling of lions and leopards thrown in for company) . The main requisite quality for a performer is his stomach. Men work for their stomachs but here the stomachs work for the men. Bigger and bulkier is in demand as a protuberant stomach gives the feline face a definite depth and menace and a realistic visual. Add to this the special effects that they can roll out with bouncing blubber to convey hypnotic movements on the faces of the tigers.
It is described as a folk art and folk dance. The paint work is done meticulously and takes 5-7 hours to complete and dry. One wishes that the paint was eco friendly but sadly, it is not. The movements are stacatto and drum based and revolve around prancing of the tigers. The feet tap out the drum beats and I am talking about the feet of the by standers.
This exotic and bouncy festival is called Pulikali and takes place around August every year
I do like their hanging tongues of fiery red. Happy Tongue Day !
Dates
Taken on August 30, 2007 at 6.13pm IST
Posted to Flickr July 20, 2011 at 10.16AM IST
Exif data
Camera Nikon D70
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 70 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash
DSC_0017 from jpeg sel exp cu desat blur cu tone yellow