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Thrissur Tourist Attractions

Regarded as Kerala's cultural capital, Thrissur has many famous temples, churches, art colleges and schools for performing arts. The most prominent feature in Thrissur is the Vadakkumnathan Temple, which has Shiva as its presiding deity. The temple is admired for its architecture and detailed woodcarvings.
Festival season runs from November to mid-May and Thrissur is the ideal base for discovering Kerala's spiritual celebrations. Thrissur is also a good base for pilgrims traveling to Guruvayur, one of India's most important pilgrim centers. Near Guruvayur is 'Punnathur Kotta', the place where the temple elephants are cared for.
There are numerous churches of interest in Thrissur including Our Lady of Lourdes, Puttanpalli Church, Angamali (the Syrian Christian center) and the Chaldean (Nestorian) Church.

Vadakkkunnathan Temple

Vadakkkunnathan Temple is one of the largest temples in Kerala, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located in Thrissur, the Vadakkkunnathan Temple is over 1,000 years old. The temple is classic Keralan architecture with fine woodcarvings, a decorative roof and facade.
The Vadakkkunnathan Temple is located on a hill at the center of Thrissur with roads that radiate out on all sides. The interior has beautiful murals near the main shrines that are a rarity and worshipped regularly. The small shrines are dedicated to different deities. The Vadakkkunnathan Temple is famous all over Kerala for its annual Pooram festival, which is held during April or May.

Kerala Kalamnadalam

The poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and Manakkulam Mukunda Raja founded Kerala Kalamnadalam in the 1930s. Today it is a major center for learning Indian performing arts; in particular those that developed in the state of Kerala such as Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Kuttiyattam and Onam Thullal. Students are intensively trained in these areas as well as voice, percussion and violin.
Visitors to Kerala Kalamnadalam are offered a structured tour that includes the theater and classes with students as guides.

Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral

Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is the most famous large church in Thrissur. The exterior features an Indo-European facade with pink spires.
The Centenary of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated during the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Trichur in 1986. The attractive underground shrine is also a big attraction.