Guruvayoor temple (Sree Krishna Temple)
A huge statue of the Garuda, (the winged God) welcomes visitors to the temple. The statue stands by a towering banyan tree, called Manjulal, in memory of an ardent devotee- a young girl called Manjula. The main sanctum of the temple which houses the idol of Lord Krishna, is called ‘Shri Kovil.’ The idol is made of a rare stone called Patala Anjanam. The deity is in a standing position, holding the conch, the Sudarshana Chakram (the serrated discus) the lotus and a mace each in its four hands. The walls of the Shri Kovil are covered with beautiful murals depicting stories from the Krishnaleela.
The temple as such is believed to be thousands of years old, although it achieved its iconic status only in the last 30 years or so. The original temple is believed to have been built by the divine architect, Vishwakarma. The architecture is such that the rays of the morning sun fall directly at the feet of the idol of Vishnu.
The Nalambalam, the inner hall is covered completely with lamps on the outside. The ‘Dwajasthambha’ is a 33 meter high flag post located in front of the temple. The Deepasthambha is a lamp built of stone in a series of 13 circular structures with wicks which taper towards the top. The ‘Tantrimadham’ is the quarters of the Tantri or the highest priest of the temple.
The temple is also a centre of arts and culture; dance, music and other performances have been held here since time immemorial. The Koothambalam, an imposing structure with a distinctive architectural style, is made use of for conducting the performances.
The mornings here are filled up back-to-back with weddings, the time allotted to each couple to perform the ceremonies is as little as 5 minutes. Quite a few people also conduct their children’s ‘Annaprasanam’ (feeding of rice to the child for the first time) and the ‘Vidayarambham’ (the initiation of the child into learning) at Guruvayoor. It is also considered auspicious to conduct the ‘arangettam’ (the first stage performance of an artist) in Guruvayoor.
Non-Hindus are not permitted within the temple.
Punnathur Kotta
The Punnathur Kotta is a standing emblem of the love and care with which Malayalees treat their elephants. The Kotta, located at Kottapadi, is a shelter and resting place for the elephants of the Guruvayoor temple, numbering to around 60, mostly donated by devotees. The pachyderms are trained for the various festivals and temple rituals here and are left free on the grounds shaded by trees the rest of the time. The Punnathur Kotta has housed several famous elephants, the Guruvayoor Kesavan, known as Gajarajan (king of elephants) being one of them.
Mammiyoor Temple
Most visitors to Guruvayoor also pay a visit to the Mammiyoor temple, situated half a km from here. The story goes that Shiva and Parvathi were witnesses to the installation of the idol at Guruvayoor. Since there wasn’t enough space for them there, they moved a little further away, to Mammiyoor and gave their blessings from there. The Mammiyoor temple was built on the spot.
Thrissur
Thrissur town is less than an hour’s drive from Guruvayoor. The religiously inclined have a lot to do in Thrissur as well. The Vadakkumnathan temple, situated right at the midst of the city, is much older and architecturally superior to the Guruvayoor temple. The Thiruvambady and the Paramekkkavu are the other two reputed temples here. Thrissur also has a zoo, a museum and children’s park, all within a 2 km radius. The Sakthan Thampuran palace is also a major attraction of Thrissur.
Chavakkad beach
If you don’t mind a bit of fun amidst all the piety and prayers, pay a visit to the Chavakkad beach. Unadulterated by commercial tourism and crowds, the Chavakkad beach is an ideal spot for rest and relaxation. Flat sands stretch endlessly while the blue waters lap the coast. Fishing is still very much practiced here and you can find a row of boats on the beach anytime of the day.
Thulabharam
The Thulabharam is an offering made by devotees whereby a person, mostly a child, is weighed against a particular object of the same weight - bananas, sugar, jaggery, coconut, sometimes butter and even gold and silver. The equivalent weight of the object is then donated to the temple.
Other smaller offerings can also be made in the temple, beginning from a simple Archana, a flower offering.
Classical Dance Performances
Every evening, a variety of classical dance performances are held in the temple compound, which go on till the wee hours of the morning. Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Krishnanattom etc. are some of the usual performances.