Kerala's Vadakkunnathan temple, home to Thrissur Pooram, gets 'new' east gopuram

Kerala's biggest temple festival, the Thrissur Pooram, will be held next time facing the renovated east gopuram of its home, the Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple.

The Gopuram is all decked out in divine grandeur after a comprehensive restoration that lasted nearly two years. It looks like a caparisoned majestic tusker carrying the replica of a temple deity’s idol. The renovation was carried out by maintaining the antiquity and historical heritage of the age-old place of worship in Thrissur.

The more than 500-year-old East Gopuram, which has immense archaeological significance, was in a dilapidated condition with invaluable wood carvings falling apart and pillars and walls on the verge of collapse. The renovation work started in 2024 but was stalled for a while due to technical issues. The work received much-needed impetus last year and was completed after nearly two years.

Antiquity reloaded
Nearly 1,500 cubic metres of teak wood and five tonnes of surkhi mortar were used to give a comprehensive facelift to the east gopuram (tower). The surkhi mortar is a mixture of lime, river sand, jaggery and ink nut, among others. The portions of lime plaster that had come off were revamped. Decayed rafters and other wooden pieces in the tower were removed completely. As many as 20 workers, led by Pannerselvam from Thanjavur, reworked the ‘panjaram’ (a decorative motif) on the walls.

The revamp has been done with the help of experts from the archaeology department who sketched a blueprint of the ‘panjaram’, which was completely destroyed, on the front side of the gopuram. The roof rafters, wooden materials, and roof tiles on the first floor were changed. Four ‘mukhappu’ (decorative top) and 24 window panes were renovated.

A team led by Kalathodu Suresh Achary worked on reconstructing the roof, and a team led by Elavalli Shivadas gave the final touches to the restored wooden carvings. The dilapidated pillars, attic, and floor tiles were renovated. The wooden materials are preserved by coating them with linseed oil. More than 40 workers, including construction experts and metal artisans, were involved in the renovation work. The work, with an outlay of Rs 4 crore, was carried out by the Kainkaryam Trust, which is part of the TVS Group.

The East pride
The east gopuram paves the way for the Paramekavu ‘purappadu’, which is part of the popular Thrissur pooram, and plays a pivotal role in the poorams of Panamukkumpally and Chembukavu. The gopuram was built following the principles of traditional Kerala architecture and covers 826.78 sqm, with a height of 14.5m. Compared to other gopurams, the east gopuram boasts of many exquisite carvings such as ‘balakudam’, ‘gajamushti’, ‘vyali’, ‘pakshimala’, ‘mandipalaka’ and flowers.

Plans are in place to install a lighting spectacle that reflects the antiquity and heritage of the gopuram. The restored gopuram was unveiled on June 26.