Guruvayur Temple - Kerala - India

Guruvayur or Guruvayoor in Thrissur district of Kerala, has a popular Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. This Sri Krishna temple is equally famous in other southern states as well, in particular Tamil Nadu. Considered as Boolaga Vakuntam, the Guruvayur temple, according to historian, is roughly 52 AD old and only by the end of the 16th century it had become the most popular pilgrimage centre in Kerala. Now, it is one among the five famous Vishnu/Krishna temples in India

Guruvayur is called as the Bhooloka Vaikuntam as here resides Vishnu as Guruvayurappan,  an idol believed to have been worshiped by Lord Krishna Himself. Lord Guruvayurapan ,thus got His name as the idol here was installed by Guru (Jupiter) and Vayu (the God of wind) .Inside the temple right in front of the sanctum  is the dwajasthambham . There is no electrical illumination inside the sanctum and the  divine idol of Lord can be viewed only with the bright glow of  oil lamps and the effulgence emanating from the sanctum cannot be expressed in words.

A certain dress code is followed in this temple and it is mandatory for men to wear dhoti and for women sari or salwar. Pilgrims queue up patiently for a darshan of their dear God, chanting Lord's name 'Om Namo Narayanaya' which itself is a great experience and the  atmosphere gets charged with devotion and totally transports one to a realm of  inner  peace and harmony .

There are  sub shrines for  Ganapathi, Ayyapa, Edatharigathu Bhagavathy. There is a  magnificent idol of Vishnu reclining on his serpent Aadisesha with consort  Lakshmi. There are wonderful paintings on the walls of the sanctum and all the pillars have beautifully sculpted scenes from Krishnavatara .

Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple, which opens at 3 AM every morning. Offerings can be made throughout the day. 

It is no wonder that the Guruvayurappan temple with its  colorful festivals and age-old tradition is considered as one of the important pilgrimage centers for the Hindus. Thousands of people visit this holy place every day and, on the week-ends. the crowds are just overwhelming.

People from abroad come in large numbers to have a look of the Guruvayoorappan (the form of Lord Vishnu worshiped in the temple).Since it is one among the most admired south Indian temple attractions. 

A visit to this unique and enchanting temple will get you happiness, mitigate  your down-to-earth problems and give peace of mind. Once you trust Him, hereon Sri Guruvayurappan will guide you in every phase of your challenging life.

                                               Food is also served to devotees free of cost.

Sri Krishna  temple of Guruvayur has the honor of owning the largest number of elephants in India, most of which are donated by the ardent devotees, who  were  blessed  with  favors  by Lord Guruvayurappa. The temple also runs  an  elephant  camp, at Punnathurkotta,2 km from here. The temple elephants actively participate in all festivals and rituals associated with this temple.

HOW TO REACH

By Road 

Guruvayoor is well connected with the other parts of the country by road and rail. The National highway is passing through Kunnamkulam which is just 8 kms away from Guruvayoor. The private bus stand is towards the east of the temple, near Manjulal (the banyan tree). It is half an hour drive by car from Thrissur and busses ply every 5 minutes from Thrissur to Guruvayoor.
Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs bus services from all major locations of the state and  few inter-state services. The bus stand is 500 meters to the west of the temple. Both KSRTC and private busses offer interstate services to all major South Indian cities like Madras, Madurai, Palani, Salem, Coimbatore, Thiruchandoor, Mysore, Mangalore, Uduppi, Mookambika etc.

By rail

Guruvayoor has got a railway station towards the east of the temple which is connected to the Madras-Mangalore main line at Thrissur. It has got computerised ticket booking facility and tickets can be booked to any locations from here. One from the Mangalore side can get down at the Kuttippram station. Regular bus services are available from there to Guruvayoor. Those from the Madras/Trivandrum side can get down at Thrissur.

By Air

Kochi international airport (Nedumbassery) is 80 kms from Guruvayoor and the Calicut airport is 100 kms away. All major international flight services are operated from these airports.
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