Guruvayoor is full of stories. Actually, each person who has visited this temple will have different stories to narrate. To me Guruvayoor is equivalent to heaven, whenever I imagine heaven, the only picture which comes to my mind is of Guruvayoor. What more can you expect from a Krishna bhakta
Guruvayoor temple is dedicated to Guruvayoorappan (Four arm form of lord Vishnu) situated in town of Guruvayoor in Kerala, India. Its popularly known as the Bhuloka Vaikuntha (the holy abode of Lord Vishnu on earth). The city is considered to be Dwarka of Southern India.
Several weddings and Children’s first feeding ceremony (annaprasan or choroonu) take place almost every day. The devotees seek the blessings of Lord Krishna for a happy future and the temple is famous for its healing power.
The temple is also famous for its beautiful Mural painting which is done by artists who have been trained by the Devasom board in Guruvayoor.
Temple timings
Morning: 3.00 AM to 1.30 PM
Evening: 4.30 PM to 9.15 PM
The Temple will be closed from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm:
How to reach
Guruvayoor, is well connected with all parts of the country by road and rail. The National highway passes through Kunnamkulam which is just 8 kms away. The private bus stand is towards the east of the temple, near Manjulal (the famous banyan tree). It is half an hour drive by car from Thrissur and buses ply every 5 minutes from the cultural capital, Thrissur.
The nearest railway station is Guruvayoor but not all the trains have a pitstop here, mostly people prefer Thrissur which is 20 kms away and Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport, which is 72 km.
Story of Guruvayoor
Lord Brahma used to worship Lord Krishna’s idol during Krishnavtaram and he gifted the same to Lord Vishnu. After seven days when Lord Krishna left for his heavenly abode, the city of Dwarka submerged. Lord Vayu, the Lord of winds and Guru were entrusted with the work. They had to find a suitable place to install the holy idol. After searching for a long time, Guru and Vayu installed the idol at the temple. This was carried out because Guru Parshuram had insisted this place.
The place got its name Guruvayoor because both Guru and Vayu had installed the idol. Initially, the temple was known as Guruvayurappa and later changed to Guruvayoor
The temple pond
The temple tank (pond) temple is called Rudratheertham. Because for thousands of years, Lord Shiva used to bath here. As Shiva is also known as ‘Rudra’, the pond was named after him: Rudratheertham.
Dress code
Devotees and tourists have to strictly follow the dress code.
Men and boys: wear mundu (single piece garment draped along the waist, very similar to sarong or dhoti) around their waist, without any dress covering their chest. You can wear a veshti ( small piece of cloth) to cover your chest.
Women and girls: saree or long skirt and blouses. Recently even salwar kameez is allowed.
Modern dresses like Trouser, short skirts are not allowed. Girls below 12 years may wear gowns.
The reason of south Indian temples emphasising on wearing one single piece of cloth (read here)
Significance of Elephants in guruvayoor
The first elephant Keshavan was donated to the Guruvayoor Hindu temple by the royal family of Nilambur on 4 January 1922.  Since then, it became a common Hindu custom in Kerala to capture elephants either as calves or young adults from the wild and to donate them to the deity of the temple as an offering. Guruvayoor temple currently has 59 elephants. All these elephants are decorated and held in a procession on the day of Thrisoorpooram.
Krishanattom
Krishnattom is a temple art in Kerala, India. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Krishna in a series of eight plays and was created by Manaveda (the  Zamorin king of Calicut) in northern Kerala. He created a poem for Lord Krishna is eight cantos.
I misinterpreted this as kathakali which was initially derived from Krishnattom. I saw this art form for the first time when I was 6-year-old, my grandfather loved this art form and on every visit to guruvayoor, he used to take me along to watch this art form. At that span of time, I couldn’t understand any of it but now being a classical dancer myself, I enjoy watching this art form. Watching krishnattom in guruvayoor is a blissful experience and one of my fondest memories in Guruvayoor.
Annadanam (Prasada oottu)
Every day Guruvayoorappan Temple department provides free Prasada Oottu for the devotees in Annalakshmi Hall located outside the temple. Prasada Oottu starts from 10.30 am. People can have free meals and there is no religious barrier. The food is simple and filling, simplicity is what makes it delicious
Shops near the temple
There are numerous shops near to the temple which sells souvenirs like mural paintings, sculptures, variety of lamps made with bell metal. Definitely, if it’s your first visit you will find lots of unique items which you will be tempted to buy.
Where: The East and West Nada
Things which can capture your interest can be Mural paintings, lamps, electronic items, religious books, brassware, very unique Kerala handicrafts. Don’t miss the the most popular Kasavu Saree. If you are fan of mural paintings then definitely there are so many options of clothing for you. Also, you should definitely shop some of the favourite Kerala snacks such as Papadums, halwa and Murukkus.
Ghee roast Dosha
Every visit to Guruvayoor is accompanied by having ghee roast from the nearby restaurant for all the three meals (I wish). Why I am emphasizing on the ghee roast is because its very delicious and as well as super crispy.
Harrytinkers tip
- Avoid visiting the temple on weekends as it will be too crowded and you won’t be able to have a peaceful darshan
- Also, during the weekday, you can expect long queues for the morning darshan.
- The meals served is simple food and the place would be crowded as its free it is given to the homeless and beggars as well
- Its better to stay for at least two days and 2 nights in order to attend all the rituals if you wish to and to visit the nearby places and watch Krishnattom.
- Strictly follow the dress code, otherwise you won’t be allowed to enter inside the temple
- The kovil inside is dimly lit so you have to look carefully inside in order to see the deity.
Harrytinkers travelog 