Centre sanctions Rs 24 lakh aid for Thrissur Pulikali teams

Thrissur: Union Minister Suresh Gopi announced on Sunday that the Central government has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh each to eight teams participating in the Pulikali Mahotsavam to be held here on September 8.

The minister, in a Facebook post, shared an order issued by the Union Ministry of Tourism sanctioning Rs 24 lakh for the event.

Pulikali is an annual folk art performance held on the fourth day of Onam, in which performers paint their bodies with tiger stripes, wear tiger face masks and dance to the beats of traditional percussion instruments.

Calling it his “Onam gift” to the famed Thrissur Pulikali teams, Gopi said, “I am delighted to announce that, for the first time in history, the Union Ministry of Tourism will grant Rs three lakh each to the renowned Thrissur Pulikkali teams under the Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme.”