• Vazhani Dam
• Kerala Kala Mandalam
• Thrissur Pooram
• Utralikavu Pooram

A four kilometre drive from Deliza Residency along the Vazhani road will take you to the picturesque Vazhani Dam built on the emerald hills. The placid lake and the well maintained garden are major tourist attractions. Occasional sightings of wildlife and rare botanical specimens make this place a serious consideration for tourists with academic interests also.

Kerala Kala Mandalam, situated formerly at Cheruthuruthy and now with an extension at Vallathol Nagar in its vicinity, is near Shornur which is just 10 Kms drive from Deliza Residency. It is the premier Centre of education and training in Indian performing arts founded by Malayalam Poet Laureate (Mahaakavi) Vallathol Narayana Menon in 1930. The traditions that developed in the State of Kerala in classical and folk dance forms and performing arts, through the centuries, especially those connected with the temples of Kerala, are taught here in the ancient gurukula system of education.

Kala Mandalam imparts training in and conducts performances of Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Thullal and Mohiniyattam. Besides the regular, long term, intensive courses leading to professional expertise at its best, Kalamandalam has facilities to provide, on request, short term and personalized courses.

Many foreigners come to Kala Mandalam to be trained in the traditional performing arts of Kerala, especially Kathakali, which ranks among the most respected classical dance-drama traditions in the world. The traditional theatre facilities, found only inside temple compounds, like the Koothambalam, have been constructed in the campus without any change for training of students and performances before the general public.

Considered the most spectacular festival on the planet, Thrissur pooram is a unique social event that attracts thousands of tourists and over a million local people to the Thekkinkadu grounds in the centre of Thrissur Corporation. It was the former king of the Cochin State, Maharaja Rama Varma (Sakthan Thamburan 1751-1805), who ordered the pooram to be celebrated in the present form. It falls on the Pooram aster of the month of Medam (Mesha) of the Malayalam calendar corresponding to April-May.

The 60 acre circular Thekkinkadu grounds, encircling the 10 acre Vadakkumnathan Temple complex, will be overflowing with spectators during the 36 hours of the climax of the Pooram festival. Two devaswoms on either side of the Vadakumnathan, the Paramekkavu and the Thiruvambadi Goddesses, vie with each other during the celebrations. Each devaswom lines up 15 elephants with glittering gold-plated head wear and other colourful accoutrements with riders on top holding embroidered mega – parasols, waving creamy white Venchamaroms of yak tail hair and lifting peacock feather fans (Alavattom). In rhythm with orchestrations like Panchavadyam and Chendamelam, the pachyderms move along prescribed route making the entire formation an exquisite audio visual feast.

Of the many colourful ceremonies, the most attractive are the Elanjithara Melam (orchestra under the Elanji tree), the Kudamattam (literally, changing of parasols) and the fire works. Elanjithara Melam is an orchestra comprising of traditional drums, pipes, trumpets and cymbals played by over 170 artists at the same time in the western courtyard of Vadakkumnathan Temple. Kudamattom, the divine durbar, is the changing of the mega parasols on the 30 lined up elephants, in the late afternoon. The million-strong crowd cheers as parasols of innovative designs and colours, like multi-tiered parasols, are lifted up and opened dexterously in seconds in quick succession. Pooram fireworks is also conducted in a competitive spirit as the climax of the night festival with hundreds of colourful amits, deafening dynamites, fiery blossoms, titanic wheels, etc., lighting up the night sky.

ust two hundred meters from Deliza residency is the Sree Ruthira Mahakalikavu Temple dedicated to Goddess Kali (Durga). The eight day long festival, usually falling in February, is one of the most important local festivals in central Kerala. In rhythm with the traditional orchestrations of panchavadyam and pandimelam, the caparisoned elephants in ornamented accoutrements and headwear (Nettippattam) of plated gold with riders keeping aloft silken mega parasols, snow white venchamarams and alavattoms move in line on the temple grounds. Ritual folk art performances like theyyam, poothan, etc., performed by the erstwhile untouched castes, go on till dawn. People of Enkakad, Wadakkancherry and Kumaranelloor vie with one another to make the pooram an unforgettable experience. . On the concluding day is the spectacular all-night pooram pageant with the fire works and other celebrations.