Guruvayoor Temple

Location	:	29 Kms North-West Of Thrissur, Kerala
Popularly Known as	:	Dwaraka of the South
Dedicated To	:	Lord Krishna
Significance	:	Most Important Hindu Pilgrim Centre in Kerala

A temple, famous all over India as a pilgrim centre, dedicated to Lord Krishna popularly known as Guruvayoorappan. The Sreekrishna idol of this temple is believed to have been worshipped by Vasudevar and Devaki at Dwaraka. This shrine popularly known as ‘Dakshina Dwaraka’ (Dwaraka of south) is in the form of a rectangle. There are a lot of mural paintings around the ‘Shrikovil’ (Shrine).

Guruvayoor, where the famous Sree Krishna Temple is situated, is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centres of kerala. The walls of the sanctum sanctorum are inlaid with exquisite mural paintings and carvings.

In Kerala, this is probably the only temple that hosts the maximum number of marriages and rice feeding ceremonies (the ritual first meal for infants). It was also the hub of the 'Guruvayoor Sathyagraha' , a historic movement demanding temple entry rights for the 'so called' lower castes.

The historic temple is shrouded in mystery. According to local belief, the temple was created by 'Guru', the 'preceptor of the gods' and 'Vayu', the 'god of winds'. The eastern 'nada' is the main entrance to the shrine.

In the 'Chuttambalam' (outer enclosure) is a 33.5-m tall gold-plated 'Dwajastambham' (flagpost). There is also a 7 m high 'Deepastambham' (pillar of lamps), whose thirteen circular receptacles provide a truly brillant spectacle, when lit. The square 'Sreekovil' is the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple, housing the main deity. Within the temple, there are also the images of Ganapathy, Sree Ayyappa and Edathedathy Kavil Bhagavathy. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple.

Punnathoorkotta, which is at a distance of 2 kms from Guruvayoor is home of 50 temple elephants, offers unusual spectacles of the gentle pachyderm.

How to Get There

• Air
  Nearest international airport is at Nedumbassery (87 km).
• Road
  The place is well connected to neighbouring places by good motorable roads.

Timings
The temple is open 03:00 am to 01:00 pm & 04:30pm to 08:30 pm.

Conducted Tours
DTPC conducts daily tours from Guruvayoor Bhakti Marg Circuit. The tour starts from Guruvayoor in the morning.

It then proceeds to Thriprayar, Koodal Manikyam, Vadakkumnathan Temple, Chettuva and returns to Guruvayoor by late evening.