About Guruvayoor About Guruvayoor
A Pious Abode in God’s Own Country
Where is it located?
Guruvayur or Guruvayanapuri as it is traditionally known, is a pilgrimage town located in the Thrissur district of Kerala. It is nestled in the close confines of the lushly green central Kerala.
Every year, nearly seven million devotees from around the country and the globe visit Guruvayur, with hope and a prayer on their lips, in search of inner peace and joy. And they know they will find it here - for, it is home to Guruvayappan - the presiding deity of the GuruvayurSri Krishna Temple.
The Legend of Guruvayur
As per legend, Guruvayur may be 5,000 years old - as is the holy idol of Guruvayurappan in the temple. A faint reference to this is can be found in Tamil literature’s 'Kokasandesam' that mentions a place called ‘Kuruvayur’. Sitting by the sea, picturesquely located in the serene greens, it marks the birth of a new ideology that not only relaxes the mind but also purifies the soul.
The presiding deity in the sanctum-sanctorum is Mahavishnu in the avatar of Sri Krishna. A culmination of the ten avatars of Hindu worship, it guarantees a total overhaul of your senses and spirit. The vedic traditions being followed here with absolute perfection and sincerity is the hallmark of the Guruvayurtemple. The hyms and chants will sweep you off your feet and the incense floating precariously in the surroundings will help you make an instant connect to your higher self.
Although puja and offerings are conducted for Guruvayurappan every day, making each day festive and auspicious for a visit - there are two important festivals celebrated here in the same fashion over centuries. Across Kerala, there is no temple considered more auspicious for weddings and ceremonies of naming and annaprashan(the ceremonial feeding of the first morsel of rice) of young children.
The Ekadasi, the eleventh day of every lunar fortnight, is very auspicious to the Hindus. The Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival which is homage to Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, one of the titans of Carnatic Classical Music. Music aficionados and local enthusiasts arrive in hordes to witness a beautiful amalgamation of culture, tradition and emotion.
When you get there, you can't help fall in love - it's instant and the bond created with the diety - eternal.
