What to See in Thrissur - Top Sights and Attractions

City in India. Puzhakkal, also Puzhakkal Padam, is part of Puzhakkal block of Thrissur. A decade ago, Puzhakkal was a vast paddy field situated in the two sides of State Highway 69 going to Guruvayur. The place is named after Puzhakkal River, which flows through this region. Now, it has become the most developed suburban area of Thrissur city. Many of the major nerve centres of Thrissur City, including the Thrissur Collectorate, Vilangan Hills, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Government Law College, Thrissur, Kendriya Vidyalaya, District Industries Centre of Kerala Govt. Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises under Government of India. Lulu Convention Center and many more are in the block. Many major automotive companies have commercial spaces here, including Hero Motors, Tata Motors, Fiat, Ford, Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota, Suzuki, Honda and more. A national-level tennis academy is also attracting tennis players here.

India's second largest and Kerala's largest international convention center, Lulu Convention Centre, is situated in Puzhakkal. Sobha Group's Sobha City Mall and Sobha City, Kerala's first and currently biggest integrated township is here with villas and high-rise luxury apartments, the only one of same in state having helipad facilities. Recently boating services for tourism have started across river. KINFRA is setting up an industrial park in Puzhakkal. West fort Hitech hospital, a specialty healthcare center, is also in here. A transit terminal Mobility hub also to be set up on lines of Vyttila Mobility Hub to reduce traffic congestion was recently approved to be realized soon. Having a railway terminal also at Amala Nagar just 3 km away, the suburb town may have major development scope in near future.

Puzhakkal is known for the "Dharmasastha temple" where the presiding deity is Lord Ayyappa. The temple receives many visitors every year during the traditional sabarimala season between October and January. The St Mary's church in Puzhakkal is another nearby place of worship. The church has an affiliated school which remains the only school in the Puzhakkal block.

The area has lush green paddy fields and three canals flowing through them as part of the Peechi irrigation project.^[1]

Longtime zoo with many animals and museum. Thrissur Zoo or State Museum & Zoo, Thrissur is a 13.5-acre zoo that opened in 1885 in a small area called Chembukkavu, in the heart of Thrissur City, Kerala, India. It is one of the oldest zoos in the country, and is home to a wide variety of animals, reptiles, and birds. The zoo compound includes a natural history museum and an art museum that showcase the social and cultural heritage of the region. The Thrissur Zoo is 2 kilometres from the Thrissur City center and is open from 10:00 AM till 5:15 PM, except on Mondays. Being one of the two Zoological Parks in the state of Kerala, it sees many visitors on a regular basis. Still and video cameras are allowed in the park for a small fee.^[3]

Hindu temple in Guruvayur, India. Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Guruvayurappan,Under the Administration of Guruvayur Devaswom, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamilnadu and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikunta.

The presiding deity of the Guruvayur Temple is Guruvayurappan (Vishnu, worshipped in the form of his avatar Krishna). The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana Chakra, the mace Kaumodaki, and a lotus with a Holy basil garland. This image represents the majestic form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of Krishna's birth. Worship proceeds according to routines laid down by Adi Shankara and later written formally in the Tantric way, the inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, by Chennas Narayanan Nambudiri (born in 1427). The Chennas Nambudiris are the hereditary tantris (high priest) of the Guruvayur Temple.

The temple is managed by Guruvayur Devaswom under the control of the Government of Kerala. The main festivals of this temple are the 10-day festival in the Malayalam month of Kumbham starting with flag hoisting on Pooyam star, Shri Krishna Janmashtami (Birthday of Lord Krishna) in the month of Chingam, Ekadasi (11th day) in the shukla paksha (bright fortnight) in the month of Vrischikam, popularly called as Guruvayur Ekadasi and Vishu on the first day of the month of Medam, once a harvest festival. The temple's sub-deities are Ganapathi, Ayyappan and Bhagavathi, and there are two sub-temples each, one for Ganapathi and the other for Nagadevata nearby the temple. One of its replica temples is Uttara Guruvayurappan Temple located at Mayur Vihar in Delhi. The temple is dedicated to Shri Krishna, who is worshipped as Guruvayurappan, the deity of the famous Shri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur Town in the state of Kerala. This temple is most revered by the Malayalis and Tamilians.^[4]

Hindu temple in Thrissur, India. Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur, of Kerala state in India. This temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a kuttambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parasurama, the sixth avatara of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.

In the year 2012 the Archaeological Survey of India has recommended 14 sites, including Vadakkumnathan Temple and palaces, from Kerala to include in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The temple is also the first one among the 108 Shiva Temples in ancient Kerala, established by Parasurama.^[5]

City in India. Swaraj Round or Thrissur Round is the local name for a circular road which is about 2 km long in the centre of the city of Thrissur in Kerala, India, surrounding the 65-acre hillock called the Thekkinkadu Maidan which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple. Swaraj Round is the biggest Roundabout in South Asia. It is a financial, commercial and business center in Kerala. Seventeen roads connect to it. Encircling the Thekkinkadu Maidan, Swaraj Round surrounds the small hillock on which the Vadakkunnathan Temple dedicated to Shiva is built. It is the largest circular road surrounding a ground in India and the second largest roundabout in the world.

Swaraj Round is a commercial and shopping area of Thrissur with malls, shopping centers, and jewelry and textile shops. There are two pedestrian subways in the Swaraj Round, one near Paramekkavu temple and other at M.O. Road Junction. The Swaraj Round is the location of a Pulikali on the fourth Onam day, when Pulikali troupes from different parts of the district perform there.^[6]

Hindu temple in Avittathur, India. Avittathur Mahadeva Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated at Avittathur village of Thrissur District in Kerala state in India. Avittathur gramam is one of the 64 original Brahmin settlement in the ancient Kerala. The Avittathur temple as well as Avittathur Gramam is equally famous like Thaliparamb gramam, Sukapuram gramam, Irinjalakuda gramam and Peruvanam gramam. Avittathur Mahadeva Temple is more than 2000 years old and four old inscriptions have been discovered. According to folklore, sage Agastya has installed the idol of Lord Shiva. It is also believed that the temple's shiva lingam was installed by lord Parasurama the sixth incarnation of Lord Maha Vishnu. The temple is a part of the famous 108 Shiva temples of Kerala.^[11]

Temple in Thrissur, India. Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple is one of the largest Bagavathi temples in Kerala located in Thrissur City. Sakthan Thampuran ordained the temples into two groups, namely "Paramekkavu side" and "Thiruvambady side" for Thrissur Pooram which is the biggest festival in South India and Kerala. These two groups are headed by the principal participants, Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple at Thrissur Swaraj Round and Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple at Shoranur road. The two temples are hardly 500 metres apart. Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple is one of the two groups participating in Thrissur Pooram. The Paramekkavu temple devaswom have a school known as Paramekkavu Vidya Mandir at MLA road near Kutoor and one KG section near to the temple itself.^[12]

Catholic church in Guruvayur, India. Palayur Mar Thoma Major archiepiscopal church, is located at Palayur, in Thrissur district in Kerala on the west coast of India. According to Saint Thomas christian tradition, the Syrian church was established in 52 AD by St Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the first church in India and among the oldest in the world. Saint Thomas performed the first baptism in India here, therefore this church is called an Apostolic Church credited to the apostolate of St. Thomas, who preached and also introduced Christianity to the people here. It is part of the Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ that he established in India, the others being at Cranganore, Kokkamangalam, Kottakkavu, Kollam, Niranam, and Chayal. The original small church structure has been retained at the original site. But substantial improvements around it were carried out during the 17th century by Giacomo Fenicio as necessary, without sacrificing the main sanctity of the place.^[13]

Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda, India. Koodalmanikyam Temple is a Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda Municipality, Thrissur district, Kerala, India. The temple comprises a main structure, a walled compound with citadels, and four ponds around the main structure one of which is within the walls. Koodalmanikyam Temple is the only ancient temple in India dedicated to the worship of Bharata, the second brother of Rama, however the idol is that of god Vishnu. "Sangameshwara" is another name associated with the deity at Koodalmanikyam. The temple is one of four in Kerala that form a set called "nalambalam", each temple dedicated to one of the four brothers in the epic Ramayana: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

The Thachudaya Kaimal as "Manikkam Keralar" is the spiritual chief and the temporal ruler of the Koodalmanikyam Temple and its estates. The line goes back to antiquity and is mentioned in the sacred Skanda Purana. The temporal rights over the temple, that is the office of the kaimal (as opposed to "Manikkam Keralar") and the office of "melkoyma".^[17]

Catholic church in Thrissur, India. The St. Antony's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church is located at Ollur, Thrissur city in Kerala, India. The church belongs to Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. According to rough figures there are around 4,000 Christian families in the parish. Because of the huge presence of Christian people in Ollur, with its religious, educational, medical, social-service, and secular organisations and institution, Ollur has been called as Chinna Roma. The church is constructed on a hill-top which is the highest location in the area. The church is surrounded by a huge protective compound wall called Elephant Wall. When Thrissur Vicariate Apostolic was erected in 1887, Ollur was the richest, most populous, and influential parish, so much that the Vicar of the Ollur parish were included in Adolph Medlycott's four-member diocesan apex council. St. Anthony's Forane Church has 18 churches under its jurisdiction.^[19]