Aattachamayam

The festival of Attachamayam is held on the Atham day of the Malayalam month of Chingam that is August or September, at the historical town of Tripunithura, near Kochi. It is celebrated to commemorate the legendary victory of the Raja of Kochi. A grand procession is taken out on this occasion, which is full of pomp and show, colors abound the pageantry, replete with caparisoned elephants, varieties of folk art forms, floats and other musical ensemble. Some believe that this spectacular procession is to mark the beginning of the Onam Festival, the festival of peace and equity. However, ther are others who believe that the Maharaja of Kochi took the Athachamayam march from Tripunithura, once capital of the Cochin estate to the Vamana temple of Thrikkakara as a military adventure or at least to show off his royal splendor and glory. With the end of the era of kings and monarchs, the tradition had died out, only to be revived again in the 1960's. Also known as Athagosham, this weeklong festival now attracts many tourists from India and abroad to Tripunithuta with its highlights being ancient and modern art forms such as folk dances, competitions and other entertainment programs. The art forms that are seen during the festival include Panchavadyam, Theyyam, Pambamelam, Chendamelam, Mayilattom, Karakattam, Aattakavadi, Ammankudam and Pulikali.