Home > Kerala Villages > Thrikkakara Village > Athachamayam The Royal Tour

Athachamayam The Royal Tour

Athachamayam of Thripunithara which is well known cultural gala today during the Onam celebrations is nothing but a reminder of the ancient practice of the ruler of cochin proceeding with all his entourage to Thrikkakkara for celebrating Onam.

After 15th century, the enmity between the Kochi and Kozhikode kings became fiercer. The king of Edapally, wherein the Thrikkakkara temple is situated, sided with the Zamorin. The Portuguese and the Dutch played dirty tricks by playing one kingdom against another. As a result, the temple fell into negligence. The Kochi king started detesting the practice of going to Thrikkakkara for Onam as it was the ally of his enemy. But the Kochi Royal Family continued the concept of the procession to Thrikkakkara albeit symbolically. The famous ‘Athachamayam’ was constituted by shakthan Tampuran in remembrance of this tradition. On the Attham day of the Chingam month, the Kochi Raja would ascend his golden palanquin and with his royal entourage, clad in all his jewels, set out on an imaginative journey to Thrikkakkara. During Athachamayam Kochi raja distributes ‘Putthan’ a coin to the people as a symbol of dispelling scarcity and poverty. Nettur Thangal, kalthanar of karingachira, Chembil Arayan etc accompanies the king in his tour. As the entourage reaches the fort, a Brahmin messenger informs the king, “this time, the celebration has been cancelled; his majesty may go back to Perumbadappu”. Then, the Kochi Raja turns towards the direction of Thrikkakkara and pays obeisance to the Vamana moorthy and returns back to his palace. The return journey is without any pomp and ceremony. Today the Athachamayam has become democratic and generalized.