Guruvayur Temple Sri Krishna Temple of Kerala Legend behind Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple

The mind sees separateness, love sees unity.

Guruvayoor

Bhooloka Vaikunta

Guruvayur also known as the Dwaraka of the South is the one of the most importnat sites in the South for the Hindus. The idol of Guruvayur temple is unique, since it is carved out of "Pathalanjana Sila", and is considered extremely sacred. This idol was once worshipped by Mahavishnu himself in Vaikunta, so Guruvayur is considered to be " Bhooloka Vaikunta " - the heaven on earth.

THE LEGEND
After the destruction of Yadava clan, Krishna too left the earth. Very soon the whole of Dwarka was submerged under water. Everything was destroyed except the idol of the Lord. Krishna himself had installed that idol in the temple built by him at Dwaraka. Udhava, Krishna’s closest disciple retrieved it from sea and approached Guru (the teacher of Devas) and Vayu (God of Winds) to find an idol spot to install the idol.

Guru and Vayu went around the world in search of an ideal place. They met Parasurama who led them to a lush green spot with a beautiful lotus tank where they felt the presence of Lord Siva and Parvathy. The idol was installed there. Siva with Parvathy left to the opposite bank, at Mammiyur. Siva permitted Guru and Vayu to perform the consecration rites and blessed them that henceforth this place would be known as GURUVAYUR (since the installation was done by Guru and Vayu)

Vishwakarma, the divine architect was requested to built a Temple , which he made in such a way that on the day of Vishu (Summer equinox), the sun himself makes his obeisance . His first rays on that day fall straight on the Lord's feet. The idol was installed in the solar month of Kumbha. (February - March).

The deity is well known for its healing power and several offerings are made to the deity here. The worship protocol at the temple is said to have been established by Adi Sankaracharya, the great religious leader. The sanctum opens at 3 am and closes at 10pm. In Kerala, this is probably the only temple that hosts the maximum number of marriages and rice feeding ceremonies (the ritual first meal for infants). Punnathoorkotta, which is at a distance of 2 kms from Guruvayoor is home of 50 temple elephants. The temple is open only to Hindus and photography is strictly prohibited.

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