Guruvayur
also known as the Dwaraka of the South is the one of the most popular
Hindu pilgrimage spots in Kerala, attracting thousands of pilgrims
from all parts of the country. It is situated 33km North of Thrissur,
around 100km from Ernakulam. The main attraction here is the Sree
Krishna temple known as 'Guruvayoor Ambalam' one of the greatest
Krishna shrines in India. The structure of this historic temple
is typically Kerala style with gopurams (gateways), repeated mandapas,
sreekovil, subsidiary shrines around a courtyard circumbulatory.
The
idol of the Sri Krishna Temple is said to have been worshipped by
Lord Brahma himself at Dwaraka and gifted to Vishnu in his Krishnavataram.
After Lord Krishna left this earth for his heavenly abode, and the
holy city of Dwaraka was to be submerged, 'Guru', the preceptor
of the Devas and 'Vayu', Lord of the winds were entrusted with the
job of finding an equally holy spot for the idol. At the end of
a long quest for an appropriate site they entered Kerala and met
Parasurama,
legendary
creator of Kerala. He led them to a beautiful lake full of lotuses,
the present temple tank, 'Rudratirtha', beside which Shiva and Parvati
waited to welcome them. The idol was duly installed at this spot
and lovingly called Guruvauurappan, or the Lord of Guruvayur. Since
the installation was done by Guru and Vayu the place was named as
Guruvayurappa and later on as Guruvayur. Shiva and Parvathi installed
themselves in Mammiyur temple at the opposite bank of the lake.
Guruvayur temple is linked with Melpattur Narayana Bhattathiri,
the author of 'Narayaneeyam' (16th century) a Sanskrit work comprising
1000 slokas (couplets) of inimitable beauty which is believed to
have been composed in front of the deity here.
Besides
the Sri Krishna Temple, Guruvayur also has other shrines which attract
crowds of pilgrims. Worship to the lord at Guruvayur is considered
complete only after a visit to Lord Shiva's shrine at Mammiyur,
just 1/2km away. The Parthasarathi temple close to the Sri Krishna
Temple, defies Lord Krishna's charioteer. Half kilometer to the
north east of the Parthasarathi temple is a shrine of Venkatchalapati
of Tirupati. Other shrines are Perunthatta Shiva Temple and Tamarayur
Vishnu Temple. Entry into the temples is restricted to Hindus and
photography is strictly prohibited.
» How
to reach Guruvayur
By
Air : Kochi international airport is 80 kms from Guruvayur and the
Calicut (Kozhikode) airport is 100 kms away. All major international
flight
services are operated from these airports.
By Rail : Guruvayur has got a railway station
towards the east of the temple which is connected to the Madras-Mangalore
main line at Thrissur. Tourists coming from the Madras/ Trivandrum
area can get down at Thrissur, just 29 km away, around one to
one and a half hour drive from Guruvayur.
By Road : Guruvayur is well connected with the
other parts of the country by road. KSRTC bus stand is 500metres
to the west of the temple and the private bus stand towards the
east.
Guruvayur,Religious Places in India Reservation Form
