Kerala is blessed with beautiful landscapes, beaches, hills and nature. And my hometown of Thrissur is known as the cultural capital of Kerala. You may have heard of this district as Trichur or Thrissivaperur in the past scriptures. Thrissur is not a well known place for tourism but that doesn't mean there is nothing to see or do. So let me share with you about my hometown: Thrissur. Thrissur is right next to Ernakulam district where Kochi is situated and 53 km from Kochi international airport. There are many trains that pass through Thrissur railway station. There are frequent bus services too. So, reaching Thrissur which is the middle part of Kerala is not a difficult task. After reaching here if you are in need of help there is a district tourism council( https://www.dtpcthrissur.com/) dedicated for that.
Thrissur comes up first in searches for the famous festival- Thrissur Pooram. "Pooram" is a temple festival and Thrissur Pooram is a festival that combines many small poorams from different temples. It is such a great experience to witness the awesome music, fireworks and many other rituals. Many people from all around the world come here to be a part of this festival that lasts for 3 days.
One such a programme that attracts many people to Thrissur is "Pulikali". It is a visual treat where thousands of people perform the folk act by painting themselves like a tiger on the 4th day of Onam. There are other places that support and promote cultural activities. Head to Kerala kala mandalam (http://www.kalamandalam.org/) to learn more about the arts in Kerala. Check out the programmes in regional theatre to catch a good theatre performance. There are many such places to learn and enjoy the fol arts and maybe that is why Thrissur is known to be the cultural capital of Kerala.
The one place you might end up in Thrissur is the famous "Thrissur round". Its the teak garden surrounding the old and renowned "Vadakkumnatha temple". An evening walk in this ground circling the temple refreshes the mind with the breeze and the lighting at the temple. Take diversions from the round and you are on the way different directions of the district. Surrounded with many temples and churches there are many old and historic temples and churches in Thrissur. Vadakkumnatha temple, Paramekkavu, Thiruvambadi are few of such temples. Our lady of Dolours basilica or locally known "Puthan palli", Palayoor church are two of the churches that speaks history. Cheraman masjid in Kodungallur is the first mosque in India. There are many other small religious places too that will help you cleanse your mind just by being there.
Thrissur is not just about Temples and festivals. There are many places that showcase the beautiful landscape. Chimmony wild life sanctuary is one such place that will provide you with an amazing experience of a smooth walk through the forest. The dam nearby has a well paved footpath that looks on to the seemingly never ending water stream surrounded with hills. Monsoon brings out the best of this places by making it covered in Green. The other such places to visit are: Peechi dam, Cheppara, Vazhani dam and the list goes on.
Going a little far from the town to Athirapilli will give you the real scenes of many movies. The overflowing waterfalls will remind you of the places you wondered if it was real in the movies "Bahubali" "Raavan" and many more. Nearby athiriapilli is Vazhachal, another wonder of nature. And if you want to have some more amusement facing the beautiful views, then head to "Wonderla", the amusement near this area.
"Snehatheeram" "Nattika" are beaches that you can relax in Thrissur if you are a beach person. Go on off timings and you will have a not so crowded beach to enjoy those waves. If you are a seafood lover then you can get fresh catches of the day from the markets nearby.
Food varies from every district to every region to every religion and cat in Kerala. But nothing beats the authentic kerala "Sadhya", combination of porotta and Beef roast and fried fish. Bharat hotel and Pathans in Thrissur round will give you the best taste of vegetarian cuisine of Kerala. Let me remind you you won't get anything packed from "Bharat" hotel unless you bring your own containers or boxes to carry food. They won't give it in plastic bags and the items of one means numbers to 10.
The list will go on if I keep writing. So when you visit Thrissur next time don't just sit and relax in your room. Go out and explore this place as much as you can and I hope my post and the near future posts will help your exploration easy.