One can enjoy all the three types of traditional festivals Ankuraadi (with full fledged rituals and other colourful cultural programmes), Padahaadi (only the peripheral colourful programmmes without any traditional rituals) and Dwajhadi (strictly meant for traditional rituals).

Every malayalam year begins here with an eight day long festival which is dedicated to the sculptor who had moulded the divine image of SREE POORNATHRAYEESAN. During that divine creation it is believed that the gifted sculptor merged himself with the Supreme being, while giving life to that beautiful idol. So the eyes of the image was left unveiled. This festival is popularly known as MOOSARI UTSAVAM which comes in every year during the months Aug-Sept. The festival OMBATHANTHI UTSAVAM (9th day of Thulam in Malayalam Calender) is celebrated in this temple to mark the return of the idol from Puthen Bunglow after the fire.

The annual festival VRISCHIKOTSAVAM in Nov-Dec is conducted as a cultural and religious festival by all the people in Tripunithura. This is a colourful festival with lots of enthusiasm involved. The SANKARA-NARAYANA VILAKKU is celebrated on the Thiruvathira day of Dhanu in Malayalam calender. Shiva (called Sankara) visits lord Poornathrayeesa making end to his eight day long festival at Perumthrikovil.

During the malayalam month Kumbham (Feb-March) the residents of Tripunithura and its surroundings receieve their MASTER colourfully with myriad offerings and this eight day long festival is locally termed as PARA UTSAVAM. The birthday of Sree Poornathrayeesa also comes in this month and the celebrations are popular here as UTHRAM VILAKKU. The most ecstatic moment in connection with this festival is the LAKSHMI NARAYANA VILAKKU which takes place in an enthralling background enriched by the natural beauty of the full moon night and the glowing country torches.

Vrischikotsavam

The Eight day long annual festival of Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple deserves special mention. Come to this festive site and it is a venue for the performance of temple arts like Melam, Panchavadyam, Thayambaka, Madhalapattu, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpattu (all are thala concerts peculiar to Kerala. The Royal procession
(Ezhunnallippu) of the deity is the most fascinating sequence of this festival. Fifteen fully caparisoned tuskers will accompany the deity along with the
gigantic orchestration, PANCHARIMELAM, which can be compared to the world famous BEETHOVAN’S orchestra. Melam is peculiar thala concerts in which more than120 specialised artists play extremely different musical instruments like 60 membraenophones(chenda, peculiar to Kerala), 30 solids (cymbals, add the
beauty of the melodious rhythm), 15 Kombu (horns) and 15 Kurumkuzhal(pipe) which will provide the tonal beauty to this rare thala conglomeration.

One can enjoy the melodious PANCHARIMELAM with all its perfection at the precincts of Sree Poornathrayeesan, and it will last for about 3 1/2 hours. Here the Pancharimelam is followed by ATANTHA MELAM and conclude with the third and fourth division of the CHEMBADA MELAM, which is famous here as NADAPPURA MELAM. The accoustic structure of Nadappura is well suited for the resonant sound produced by ELATHAALAM (cymbals) in Chembada melam. This rare blend of colourful visual (procession) and melodious rhythm (melam) is the peculiarity of this festival and will repeatedly be presented in seven sunny days and sweet ecstatic nights. Fourth day of this festival bears another importance as THRIKKETTA PURAPPAADU. According to the anecdotes, the great VILLVAMANGALAM SWAMIYAR visited the temple and found the devine presence in the procession and not at the sanctum-sanctorum. From this day onwards devotees donate money to the god considering the direct presence of Poornathrayeesa in the procession and more time is alloted for night procession of the deity.

KATHAKALI, the classical dance form of Kerala also bears an equal importance as that of Melam. Early 40s and 50s witnessed more than twelve stages on the same day and great maestros like VAZHENGADA KUNJU NAIR, KALAMANDALAM KRISHNAN NAIR etc participated in the Kaliyogam.

CARNATIC MUSICIANS like Madurai Mani Iyer, G.N. Balasubramanyam, Aalathur Brothers and others presented their best performance here and now too well known musicians like Shenmaangudi Sreenivasa Iyer, T.H. Govinda Rao, T.N.Krishnan, M.S.Gopalakrishnan, T.V.Gopalakrishnan are the leading artistes here. Round the clock programmes of vrischikotsavam also includes folk art forms like Kurathiyattom, Ottamthullal, Sheethankan Thullal, Patakom and Sandhya kali are performed by leading artists.

The mind of a typical Tripunithura “Utsava Braanthan” can be read from the below lines which was written by one of those…
“Sree Poornathrayeesa Kaniyoo bhagavane
palajanmam ividey janikkaan
ee mathilakathennum nin utsavapaayasam
mathivaruvOLam nukaraaan!!!”