Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple

Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayur in Thrissur District, Kerala, is renowned in the Hindu world for the unique idol of Lord Krishna. Krishna is known here as Unnikrishna or Balakrishna. It is believed that idol here was given by Lord Vishnu to Brahma who passed it to a couple without children. Since, Lord Vishnu had worshipped the idol, the Guruvayur Temple is considered as ‘Bhooloka Vaikunta’ or heaven on earth. The daily puja routine here was laid down by Adi Shankaracharya.

There are numerous myths associated with Guruvayur Temple. The temple is famous for the Thulabharam ritual. For devotes, the Lord is the all pervading Guruvayoorappan.

Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. Shirt, T-shirt, pyjama, chapels, and other modern dresses are not allowed inside the temple. Men should be in ‘mundu’ and should not cover their top. Women should be in sarees and children should wear ‘pavadi.’ Churidhar allowed inside after a dress code change in July 2007. Mobile phones and camera are not permitted inside.

To visit Guruvayur the best option to reach Thrissur. It is half-an-hour drive from Thrissur. And buses ply every five minutes to Guruvayur. There are also trains but not frequently. There is a direct train from Chennai to Guruvayur via Trivadrum – Nagercoil.

Link to the official temple website (http://guruvayurdevaswom.nic.in/).

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