Thrissur

Thrissur grew around the hilltop Vadakkunnathan temple, dedicated to Shiva. Its older name, Thrissivaperur, recalls the deity, and the temple stood within a broad wooded precinct. The rulers of Cochin resided here, while the Namboothiri families and the religious head of the temple exercised considerable influence over the surrounding country.

During the eighteenth century Thrissur was caught between the rulers of Cochin, the Zamorin of Calicut and the armies of Mysore. After the Zamorin was expelled in 1761, the Cochin rulers curtailed the power of the temple’s religious leadership. Raja Rama Varma, known as Sakthan Thampuran, ascended the Cochin throne in 1790 and encouraged merchants to settle at Thrissur. He cleared land around the temple, rebuilt the royal palace in 1795 and is remembered for establishing the Thrissur Pooram festival. The town’s markets, palace and religious celebrations flourished under his patronage.