Relief for jumbos at Thrissur Pooram

THRISSUR: After decades of stiff competition, Thiruvambay and  Paramekkavu devaswoms, the organisers of the famed Thrissur Pooram, have joined hands to provide much relief to the jumbos which are going to be paraded in the carnival.

During the previous years, the two elephants were face-to-face for less than two hours at the Thekkin Kadu maitan, for Kudamattam, one of the most memorable moments of the pooram.

“This year, we are planning to end the kudamattam within one hour” says Prof. M. Madhavankutty, president, Thiruvambady devswom.

In addition, the organisers have initiated steps to construct a platform at Thekke Gopura Nada. Every year, elephants of the Thiruvambadi devaswom are forced to stand on a slope with a slant of nearly 40 degrees during the kudamattam ceremony.

Both decisions would be a major relief for elephants being paraded for the Pooram, which is scheduled to be held on April 29, Madhavankutty said.

Work on constructing an even surface for the Pooram has begun at Thekke Gopura Nada. After the Pooram, the temporary construction would be removed to restore the beauty of the Gopura Nada, which is opened only twice in a year- for Thekkottirakam on Pooram day and on Shivarathri day.

Meanwhile, the move is being debated in the virtual and the real world. Animal rights activists welcomed the decision and pointed out that elephants would develop health problems if they were made to stand on a slope for more than two hours during kudamattam. But Pooram lovers feared that the new move will take the sheen out of the festival.

A division bench of the Supreme Court is expected shortly to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by  Bangalore-based NGO Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC) seeking a complete ban on parading elephants in religious and tourist events citing abuse meted out to pachyderms during such events.