‘KUDAMATTOM’, a competition in the swift and rhythmic changing of brightly coloured and sequined parasols is conducted thereafter. The silk umbrellas of their mounts keep on changing-one brilliant colour following another—the peacock feather fans held high and yak tail bunches waved uniformly and artistically. The whole event takes place in rhythm to the traditional orchestra ‘Pandimelam’.

Kerala has a few thousand temples, and each of these is a springboard of festival celebrated annually. Religious rites, elephant processions, percussion orchestra, demonstration of temple art forms and folk art forms are all the insignia of a temple festival. Among the varieties of festivals celebrated in Kerala, Thrissur Pooram is the most thriving, spectacular, eye dazzling and earth thudding. Except for some special rites in the temples participating in the festival, Thrissur Pooram with its colourful elephant rallies, percussion orchestra and fireworks is highly cosmopolitan in its outlook and practice. Pooram is an expression of aesthetic human minds and popular fascination for rhythm, sound and colour and it does fascinate and thrill people of all tastes, and has a universal appeal too.

Spectacular pageant of fully caparisoned elephants, sonorous percussion, quintet like Panchavadyam and Pandimelom and grandiloquent fireworks give you innumerable moments to cherish. The splendour of this magnum feast can never be forgotten. Come down to Thrissur and enjoy this cultural fiesta. Snap up the fabulous Divine Durbar and the fascinating "changing of parasols" (Kudamattom). Every treetop, every balcony, every inch of space on the ground and building is filled with euphoric human beings turning their eyes to both sides alternatively to see the competition of elephants accoutrements.

The two arrays of 15 elephants each stand still facing each other for an hour. Traditionally, the rivalry of two groups representing the main geographic divisions of Thrissur, Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi add the grandeur of Pooram. Both teams field face to face an array of richly caparisoned elephants. And then ‘KUDAMATTOM’, a competition in the swift and rhythmic changing of brightly coloured and sequinned parasols is conducted.