South India · Kerala
Guruvayur, Kerala
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
Before you go
Kerala's most important Krishna temple, famous for weddings and the annadanam; entry is for Hindus only, with a strict dress code.
About Guruvayur
- Inland
Where it is
Guruvayur is a temple town in Thrissur district of Kerala, on the coastal plain about 26 km north-west of Thrissur and a few kilometres from the Arabian Sea at Chavakkad.
History
Legend says the image of Vishnu worshipped here as Guruvayurappan, a form of Krishna, was installed by Guru, preceptor of the gods, and Vayu, the wind god. The temple was long under the patronage of the Zamorins of Calicut, was opened to all Hindu worshippers in 1947 after the Guruvayur satyagraha, and survived a serious fire in 1970.
People
Guruvayur speaks Malayalam, and its life revolves around the temple, with many families running wedding halls, lodges and shops. Devotees bring babies for their first feeding of rice, weigh themselves against offerings in the thulabharam, and fill the town for Guruvayur Ekadasi.
Known for
- The Sri Krishna Temple of Guruvayurappan
- Temple weddings and first-feeding ceremonies
- Punnathur Kotta elephant sanctuary
- Krishnanattam dance-drama
- Guruvayur Ekadasi and the Chembai music festival
Did you know?
The Sanskrit devotional poem Narayaneeyam was composed at Guruvayur in the 16th century by the poet Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri.
Shrines and sites
- Sri Krishna Temple
- Punnathur Kotta elephant sanctuary
- Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple
Traditions
- Hindu
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