Trivandrum might be the capital of Kerala, Cochin might be the commercial capital of India but Thrissur without any doubt is the cultural capital of Kerala and the rich history, cultural heritage and the vast archaeological wealth has led to this. The importance of this district had been established in the ancient times itself because Thrissur was made to play a very significant role in the political history of south India as some of the biggest and most powerful people have helped in casting the future of this region. The list of such people is quite long and impressive; it includes the likes of Zamorins of Kozhikode, Tipu Sultan of Mysore and even the Europeans including the Dutch and the British. Even the architect of this town has been revered as a very distinguished gentleman; he is none other than Raja Rama Varma.
The district of Thrissur with a net area of 3032 sq km has a meagre population of 274,225. Reaching Thrissur is rather easy both by rail and road because it is well connected by an excellent road network to all the major places and on top of that it is a very important railway station in the southern railways.
There are numerous places to visit in Thrissur and on most of the occasions these places are filled with tourists. The vadakkumnathan temple is the oldest temple of the state and is a very good example and ambassador of Kerala’s style of architecture. The world famous Pooram festival is celebrated here. The Pooram festival is celebrated amidst spectacular fireworks and is blessed with a display of fabulous mural paintings. Guruvayoor, which is located at a distance of 29 kilometres in the west of Thrissur, is one of the most scared and important pilgrim centres of Kerala. There are many myths attached with this place. Legend has it that this temple is the creation of guru, the preceptor and the god of winds, vayu.
Thus Thrissur is not a place you should miss while planning a visit to explore the god’s own country.