Summary of this article
Sample fireworks on April 24 and the main display on April 27 have been completely cancelled.
The Kudamattam ceremony will be shortened to 15 minutes with fewer umbrellas and 15 elephants from each side.
Major traditions, including Ilanjithara Melam and the elephant procession, will continue under revised arrangements.
No fireworks will be held at this year’s Thrissur Pooram following the firecracker unit explosion that claimed 14 lives and left several others seriously injured.
A high-level meeting held at the Thrissur Collectorate on Thursday decided to cancel both the sample fireworks scheduled for April 24 and the main display traditionally held in the early hours of April 27. The decision was taken in the wake of the tragedy at Mundathikode, where an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit set up for Thiruvambady Devaswom resulted in multiple deaths, injuries and reports of missing persons.
Although the fireworks have been abandoned, the festival’s key rituals will continue in a scaled-down form. The famous Kudamattam ceremony, involving the exchange of decorative parasols atop elephants, will be reduced to a symbolic 15-minute event instead of its usual hour-long display.
Fifteen elephants each from Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady will take part. The number of ornamental umbrella sets prepared by both sides will also be reduced.
Traditional events such as the Ilanjithara Melam percussion performance and the elephant procession will go ahead as planned. Representatives of both devaswoms stated that these rituals are central to the festival’s heritage and should continue.
Before the meeting, members of Thiruvambady Devaswom had said many festival supporters wished to proceed as normal, as preparations had already been completed. They also noted a long-held belief that the presiding deity would be honoured only if the Pooram was conducted. However, the government maintained that holding the celebrations in full immediately after such a major tragedy could provoke strong public criticism.
As a result, it was agreed to cancel all fireworks and limit Kudamattam to a symbolic observance while preserving the remaining customs. Thiruvambady Devaswom later said it accepted the government’s directions and would fully cooperate.
Following the accident, authorities issued a stop memo to the firecracker unit of Paramekkavu Devaswom, while police also registered a case against the licence holder connected to the facility.
The meeting was attended by ministers R. Bindu, V.N. Vasavan and K. Rajan, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, District Collector Shikha Surendran, City Police Commissioner Naveen R. Deshmukh, and other senior officials.
