Onam season is here: Check out Kerala's 62-foot flower carpet in Thrissur

Today is the 'atham' day on Kerala's calendar, and Onam is just nine days away now. Kerala households begin laying the festival 'pookkalam' or flower carpet from today, one round of flowers per day, to culminate with ten floral rounds on the Onam day. To give the Onam season a grand welcome, a 62-foot-wide flower carpet was laid in front of the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur this morning. An annual affair here, the pookkalam was completed after hours of painstaking work by volunteers led by the Thrissur civic community. This year’s pookalam is two feet larger in diameter than last year’s 60-foot design.

Around 2,000 kg of flowers, collected from different parts of Kerala, went into creating the colourful floral artwork. Nearly 150 volunteers helped put it together. The preparations began three days ago, with volunteers first working on the design and then cutting and arranging hundreds of kilograms of flowers. The final stages began in the early hours of Atham day, with devotees visiting the Vadakkunnathan Temple, morning walkers and members of the Saayahna Sauhruda Koottayma joining hands to complete the pookalam.

The floral tradition is led by the Saayahna Sauhruda Koottayma. Organisers said the annual Athapookalam has become an important celebration that showcases Thrissur’s rich cultural heritage and brings the festive spirit of Onam to the heart of the city. “This is the 18th Athapookalam being created in Thrissur. It is a matter of great pride and happiness for us,” said Shoby T Varghese, one of the organisers.

As the giant floral carpet took its final shape, the Vadakkunnathan temple grounds and Thekkinkad Maidanam turned into a festive gathering spot, with large numbers of people arriving to admire the artwork and capture photographs. The giant Athapookalam brings together devotees, walkers, volunteers and residents in a shared celebration of Kerala’s favourite festival.