GURUVAYOOR

Guruvayoor is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centres of Kerala. Its main attraction is the Sree Krishna temple Spiritual Tours, with the expressions Kerala , Guruvayoor temple being located in Thrissur, in Kerala, South India. A spiritual tour to Guruvayoor temple, located in Thrissur, South India, expressions Kerala Tours, would enable a seeking out wayfarer to explore and appreciate the architectural finesse of these temples located in Thrissur. The Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple has an eastern entrance. It also has a famous flag-post and dipastambham (pillar of lamps), which looks gorgeous when all the thirteen receptacles are lit. The main deity here is Sree Krishna

This historic temple is shrouded in mystery. According to belief, the temple is the creation of Guru, the preceptor of the Devas, and Vayu the Lord of Winds.

The eastern nada is the main entrance to the shrine. In the chuttambalam (outer enclosure) is the tall 33.5 mt. high gold plated Dwajasthambam (flag post). There is also a 7 mt. high Deepasthambham (pillar of lamps), who’s 13 circular receptacles provide a truly gorgeous spectacle when lit. The square Sreekovil is the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple which houses the main deity. Within the temple there are also images of Ganapathy, Sree Ayyappa and Edathedathu Kavil Bhagavathy.

It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus and is often referred to as "Bhooloka Vaikuntam which translates to the holy abode of Vishnu on Earth. The divine idol installed here represents the enchanting form of Sree Krishna endowed with the four lustrous arms carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana Chakra, the mace Kaumodaki and the lotus. Adorned with the divine Tulasi garland the idol represents the majestic form of Maha Vishnu as revealed to Vasudeva and Devaki at the time of Krishna avatar; Hence it is also known as Dwaraka of the south (of India). Shri Krishna is popularly known here by different names such as Kannan, Unni-Kannan (Baby Krishnan), Unni-Krishnan, Balakrishnan, and Guruvayoorappan.

The presiding deity in the sanctum-sanctorum is Mahavishnu. He faces east (the direction of the rising sun) and his idol is 4 ft tall. Even though this is not a much small idol, devotees consider him as Little Krishna. He is angry form, standing on a stool. He has 4 hands: The upper right hand holding chakra, lower right hand holding lotus, upper left hand holding shankha and lower left hand holding gada. He stabs gada on the basement. He is worshipped according to the pooja routines laid down by Adi Sankaracharya and later written formally in the Tantric way by Chennas Narayanan Namboodiri (born in 1427). The Chennas Namboodiris are the hereditary Tantris of the Guruvayur temple.^[3] The temple/pooja routines are strictly followed without any compromise. The Tantri is available full time at the Temple to ensure this. The Melsanti (Chief Priest) enters the Sri Kovil (sanctum sanctorum) at 2:30 AM and does not drink even a glass of water up to the completion of noon poojas at 12:30 PM. The Vedic traditions being followed here with absolute perfection and sincerity is the hallmark of the Guruvayur temple. It is important to note here that, even though the shrine is considered to be one of the holiest spots for Vaishnavites, the temple is not a part of the 108 Divya Desams.