Thrissur (Kerala): Alavattom is a peacock feather fan used for festive and decorative purposes. It is an eye-catching piece in the larger spectacle of Thrissur Pooram.
The major event during the Pooram is the display of embroidered umbrellas and specially made fans.
Each side would have 15 pairs of decorative Alavattoms or a decorative fan. The spectacle of Pooram is complete only when the Alavattom and Ven Chamaram (another decorative ornamental fan made of the tail hair of a kind of white deer) rise and swirl on top of the tusker bearing the deity on its back.
Read: COVID-19 Lockdown: No pomp and festivities at Thrissur Pooram this year
Alavattom is made by processing the peacock feathers and the central stem-like part of the long feathers. The white squares, circles and patterns seen on the Alavattom are made using the stem part of the peacock feathers. The central eye-like part of the feathers is tied together in a particular way to complete each round in the Alavattom.
Read: Miniature art on Thrissur pooram enthralls Kerala minds amid lockdown
Kuttumukku Chathanathu family has been into making Alavattom for the past 50 years for Paramekkavu. The family purchases peacock feathers collected by the tribals from Jodhpur in Rajasthan once a year from a wholesale dealer in Kottayam to make Alavattom.
Read: 54-year-old tusker opens Thrissur Pooram fest in Kerala
Presently, Muralidharan, who was a professor in Commerce with the NSS College Ottappalam, supervises the Alavattom making in the Chathanathu family. Each pair of Alavattom costs about Rs 15000. About 2 kilograms of peacock feathers are needed to make a pair of Alavattom. One kilogram of peacock feathers would cost Rs 2000.
