Arattupuzha is a quaint little village in the outskirts of Thrissur. Life around the village is a very laid back affair for the better part of the Year. Come summer around March April the village comes to life for the annual temple festival. The name Arattupuzha itself is derived from this festival and signifies the ritual bath that takes place in the river at the end of the festival.

Nature and history has been kind to arattupuzha. Karuvannur puzha, a beautiful river meanders through much of the village as it heads west into the Arabian Sea. Vast expanses of paddy fields surround the village and it's verdant landscape. Arattupuzha Sastha Temple is at the centre of its landscape and life and is strategically positioned by the river at the foot of a small hill.

Despite its thoroughly rural setting, Arattupuzha is surprisingly well connected. It is just 40 kms from the Cochin International Airport. Thrissur Railway Station (and the City Centre itself) is just 12 kms away. NH66 and NH544, the major arterial roads of Kerala are a short distance away to the west and the east.

Peruvanam Mahadeva Temple is is an ancient Shiva temple that dominated social and political life in Central Kerala few centuries back. The temple still stands as a magnificent structure in its vast compound though its social, political and economic clout has dwindled much. Peruvanam Gramam that was the governing body centred around the temple is non-existent today in an administrative sense. Socially and religiously the concept still lives on mainly through the annual temple festivals connecting the network of temples in and around the peruvanam gramam.

A clutch of magnificent temples, each of them several centuries old, form the central pillars for this annual festival. Other temple festivals in the region like the much more renowned Thrissur Pooram are spin offs and once formed part of the original Peruvanam-Arattupuzha Pooram. . Not just Thrissur Pooram but the very syntax and structure that makes a typical temple festival of Kerala magnificent spectacular and colourful affairs was originated in peruvanam.

Touted the cultural capital of Kerala the city of Thrissur is centrally located in the state. The famous vadakkumnathan temple UNESCO Heritage site forms the centre of the city and lens its name to it. Major cultural and literary Institutions of the state have their headquarters and performance Arena in the City. Thrissur is also very famous for its Puram the annual temple festival as well as its Onam celebration the Western Ghats borders the east of Thrissur district and provides several attractive forest destinations. Several rivers originates here and adds to the Splendor of this destination.

Vadakkumnathan Shiva temple at the heart of Thrissur city is very famous and magnificent. Peruvanam Mahadeva Temple in its outskirts is another ancient and spectacular place of worship. Further South the koodalmanikyam temple following the Vaishnavi tradition has a verifiable history going back to the 9th century. Thriprayar Temple to the west is another magnificent Vaishnavi Temple. Temples at Kodungallur and thiruvanjikulam have a great historical significance dating back to the ancient cerumen era. Guruvayur temple is one of the most visited in whole of India. Magnificent temples also exist in abundance at other parts of the district.

Athirapally waterfalls and the watch all rapids are spectacular attractions near Chalakudy in Thrissur. Chimminy and Peechi wildlife reserves also attract a lot of nature enthusiasts In fact the Eastern border of Thrissur offers fantastic cycling or trekking trails through dense tropical rainforests.

Kerala is a narrow strip of land register between lush green forest of the Western Ghats and Sandy shows of the Arabian Sea. Beaches amount on its Western border and Thrissur is no exception. Nattika, Valapad and Snehatheeram are especially favoured by visitors.

Thrissur Pooram that involves the major temples in and around Thrissur city is the preeminent festival of Kerala. The grand event occurs every year in April / May (corresponding to the Zodiac Taurus). Peruvuanam - Arattupuzha pooram is a much longer, more ancient and equally magnificent which precedes Thrissur Pooram by a month every year. Irinjalakuda temple festival, a nine-day cultural extravaganza follows on the heels of Thrissur Pooram. Guruvayur utsavam usually occurs in February March. The social and cultural fabric of Thrissur is deeply and raised by a plethora of other festivals in temples and churches across the land.

Thrissur is considered the cultural capital of Kerala as it preserves and nurtures some of the rich traditions and art forms of this land. Kerala Kalamandalam the pre-eminent institute of classical art forms of Kerala is situated here. Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy and Lalitha Kala Academy have their headquarters here. It is however the ancient temples steeped in traditions and culture that play a more prominent role in earning the epithet Of Cultural Capital for Thrissur. Each of these institutions and temples hosts a wide range of cultural programs spanning the year.