Guruvayur

Guruvayur

At a Glance
Population
NA
Area
NA
Geo Location
South West
Average Climate
23°C - 30°C
Best time to visit
December - February

Guruvayur should be declared ‘the cultural capital of Kerala' as it is home to the most beautiful and astonishing temples of the state and that too, in large numbers. This thriving neighborhood of Thrissur is rich in natural beauty and includes some of the superbly built temples which are extremely famous across the world. The beauty and serenity of the heavenly temples here are not easy to describe. A visit to Guruvayur can complete your search for spirituality and give meaning to your holidays.

Guruvayur is home to one of the most pious temples of Lord Vishnu - "Guruvayur Temple”. This magnificent temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna, who is the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In local parlance Guruvayur Temple is called as as "Bhuloka Vaikunta", meaning the "Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth". The references of the worship of Lord Krishna 5000 years ago at this place are found in Hindu scriptures. The present form of temple came into existence in 16th century. This ancient temple is widely visited by a large number of tourists, who take the blessings of Lord Krishna, whose idol is represented as a baby form of Krishna.

The story of Guruvayur

Guruvayur temple is famous for Lord Sree Krishna and regarded to be one of the most divine temples of Lord Vishnu among the 108 most divine Vishnu temples in the world. This temple is considered the home of Lord Vishnu, which is why Guruvayoor is immersed in spirituality at heart. According to Hindu mythology, this is the same place where the Deva Guru (principal teacher of gods) Brihaspati and Vayu Deva (God of the Winds) placed an idol of Lord Vishnu on the instruction of Lord Krishna, who used to worship this idol in his palace in Dwarka Island. It is believed that Shree Krishna knew that soon Dwarka would submerge in the seas. So, to protect the idol of Lord Vishnu, he instructed the Guru and Vayu to search a sacred place and transfer the idol of Lord Vishnu there. That’s why, Guruvayur is known as Dwarka of south India.

Some people also say that a temple of Shiva existed in the same place where the idol had to be placed. On the invocation of the Guru, Lord Shiva decided to move his temple to another place, to install Lord Vishnu's divine idol. Since then, the place is becoming like Guruvayur and people from different parts of the country have begun to visit this temple to seek the blessings of Shree Krishna. However, some people believe that your visit to the Guruvayur temple is incomplete if you do not visit the original Shiva temple, which was transferred to Mammiyur at the time when Lord Vishnu's idol was placed at Guruvayur.

The popularity of the Great Temple of Lord Krishna, makes the city Guruvayur one of the most popular tourist destinations in Kerala. But, very few people know that this is also the best place to discover giant elephants, who are worshiped here and trained to participate in major processions and daily temple rituals. The famous Guruvayur elephant camp is located in Punnathur Kotta, 3 km from the Guruvayur Temple. This place is among the largest elephant sanctuaries in the world, housing around 60 elephants, who are trained to participate in major processions during festivals. It is a popular tourist attraction in Guruvayur, visited by a large number of people each year. The two main elephant festivals observed at Guruvayur Temple are Gajapooja (Adorant of Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants).

The activities to do in Guruvayur

You can visit the famous Guruvayur temple to seek the blessings of Lord Krishna. Be at a cultural event at the temple that takes place daily in the evening and witness the amazing traditional dance performance called 'Krishnaatham'.

Plan an excursion to the Chavakkad Beach, located about 5 km from Guruvayur, and enjoy the beautiful view of the Arabian Sea.

Visit the Elephant Sanctuary Punnathur Kotta to catch a glimpse of giant elephants and see how they are trained to participate in various temple rituals and festival processions.

Top Things to Do in Guruvayur

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