Guruvayur Festival

Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur District of Kerala. The Guruvayur Temple is a famous temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus and is often referred to as ” Bhooloka Vaikuntam” which explains to the holy abode of Vishnu on Earth. The divine idol set up here embodies the enchanting form of Sree Krishna endowed with the four gleaming arms carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana Chakra, the mace Kaumodaki and the lotus.Guruvayur,according to the legends is a 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur temple idol is. There are no ancient records to prove it. In the 4th century,Tamil literature ‘Kokasandesam’, references about a place called Kuruvayur is made. As early as 16th century, many references are seen about Kuruvayur. In ancient Dravidic, Kuruvai means sea, hence the village on the coast may be called Kuruvayur.

Guruvayur Temple Festival

The grand Guruvayur festival in Kerala is a major attraction for the tourists through the globe. The city seems sparkling with joy and fervor as the festival days approach toward the middle of March.The stunningly decorated elephants, grand lighting with tall traditional lamps make the city more beautiful.A memorial honor for Gajarajan Kesavan is conducted in Guruvayur.The Karanavar or head of the elephant family places a wreath at the statue of Kesavan in front of Sreevalsam guest house and all the other elephants stand around and pay homage.On the day of Ekadasi, the Udayasthamana Pooja which is done dawn to dusk is conducted by the Devaswom itself. After the morning seeveli, on Ekadasi there is a grand elephant procession to the Parthasarathi temple since it is regarded as Geethopadesam Day also. On Ekadasi after night pooja, the famous Ekadasi Vilakku with elephant procession takes place and provides a fitting finale to the festival.

A tour to the Guruvayur during the festival provides the tourists an exclusive opportunity to experience the life and culture of the region.You can have the lip-smacking traditional cuisine of Kerala.