Guruvayur - Home to the largest population of captive male Asian elephants.

1. GuruvayurR e v o l v e s r o u n d K r i s h n a T e m p l e
Home
to the
largest
population
of captive
male Asian
elephants.
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2. CONTENTS
Guruvayur Revolves
3Round Krishna Temple
Central Id ol And Legends
Miraculous Id ol
4
7
Elephant Fort Or Anakotta
Chembai Mu sic Festival
Ac cessibility to Guruvayur
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12
17
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3. Guruvayur Revolves
Round Krishna
Temple
Guruvayur with its outstanding houses and imposing lodges
and hotels, may arouse the impression of a posh municipal
town in first-time visitors. If any one thought that it is more
than a temple town, encompassing commercial activities of
all kinds within its area of influence like nearby towns-Cha-
vakkadu and Ku nnamkulam- he would have gone terribly
wrong, considering Guruvayur’s parasitical dependence on
devotees and consequently devotion-based or pilgrimage
tourism.So an aspiring tourist will b e well avised to chart out
his itinerary accordingly.No thing more than the aforemen-
tioned structures is there to lure the attention of tourists!
My second visit to this temple town, well-known and reput-
ed all over India, after a long gap of about 20 years, con-
vinced me that had it not been for that eye-catching temple,
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4. Guruvayur would not have been what it is today! Such real-
ities e xplain t he p rominence o f S ri K rishna Te mple – a g lar-
ing epitome of Ke rala-style architecture with gabled roofs
and dormer windows- dedicated to Lord Krishna (an ac-
cepted avatar or incarnation of Lord Vi shnu) in Guruvayur.
Yes, Sri Krishna Temple with its deity Lord Krishna is
one of the most important places of worship for Hindus
of Ke rala and other parts of India, especially South and –
if not in equal measure- No rth of the country. The Tem-
ple is also reverred as ‘Bhuloka Vaikunta,’ which trans-
lates into ‘Ho ly Ab ode of Vi shnu on Earth’ in English.
Ac cording to a common belief doing round among dev-
otees, the nimble-footed Un nikrishnan or Boy Krish-
na is always prancing around the temple precincts incog-
nito. This may be the reason why Guruvayur Temple is
known as Krishna Temple despite the fact that the idol
is that of Vi shnu and the legends revolve round him.
Central Idol And
Legends
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5. Central idol of the presiding deity Vi sh-
nu-worshipped in the form of Lord Krish-
na- itself has the potential to become
the cynosure of all eyes: the four- armed
Lord Krishna in his majestic pose, car-
rying the conch Pa nchajany a, the discus
Sudarshana Chakra, the mace Kaumoda-
ki, then a lotus and a Ho ly Basil garland.
Mo reover, this idol represents the majestic
form of Vi shnu as revealed to Lord Krish-
na’s parents Vasudeva and Devaki around
the time of his birth. Thus Guruvayur came
to be known also as Dwarka of South India.
The m iraculous f act about t he e xistence of
the temple is that even the fire that raged
on No vember 30, 1970 could not destroy
the Sri Ko vil (Sanctum Sanctorum), idol
of the main deity, subshrines of Ganesha,
Ay yappa, Bhagavathi and the flagstaff.
Ac cording to legends, idol of Lord Vi shnu
Lord Shiva
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6. here is 5,000 years old, though no historical records vouch for
it. The notable fact is that even if the legend in Narada Purana
to this effect is ignored, one cannot miss out on the mytholog-
ical references that led to the name Guruvayur. According to a
my thological reference, l ong a go, L ord S hiva w ould w orship
Lord Vi shnu a t t he s ame s pot w here t he i dol i s l ocated n ow.
The l ake on t he n orth s ide of t hat s pot i s k nown a s Ru drath-
eertham, as Ru dra (Lord Shiva) would bathe there before per-
forming the pooja. It was Vi shw akarma, architect of Devas
or G ods w ho c onstructed t he t emple t here. S ince i t w as B ri-
haspati, Guru of Devas or Gods and Vayu Bhagwan, God of
Wi nd, who consecrated the idol, the place came to be known as
Guruvayur (Guru+ Vayu) and the idol as “Guruvayoorappan”.
Thus Lord Krishna in Guruvayur came to be popularly known
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7. as Gu ruvayo or app an - App an means God or Fat her, hence the
tit le m eans G od of Gu ruvay ur. Ac cord ing t o an ot her l ege nd,
in an cient d ay s, t he p on d h ad e xtended up t o Mam miyur an d
Thamar ay ur (ab out 3 km away from the Templ e) and was know n
for its eve r- bl oom ing lotus flowe rs wit h miraculous prop erties.
Miraculous
IdolWh en miraculou s aspects hove r ove r the lege nds,
stor ies an d existence of the temp le an d the struc-
tu re s in an d arou nd it , can the idol be far behind!
The small idol, made of the ston e called black an -
timony, has magnetic as we ll as special medicinal
prop erties, accord ing to devot ees. Eve ry mor ning
the God or the idol of Gu ruvay oor app an is an oi nt ed
in sesam e or til oi l (It is believe d that this sesam e oi l
can c ure e ve n t he m ost f at al d iseases l ike p ar alysis,
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8. so it is d istributed among d evotees as prasadam) and t hen it
is s prinkled w ith a s pecial c leansing p owder, m ade o f h erbs
and called “vaka”.(The herbal mixture helps to extract oil
from the idol and the process is famously known as ‘G uru-
vayur Vakacharthu’.) Light brown in colour, it renders an
additional colourful and sparkling touch to the idol. It is
interesting to note here that devotees or ‘Krishnabhakths,’
irrespective o f w eather a nd t ime, t hrong t he t emple i n h un-
dreds and thousands to witness this ‘charming or enchant-
ing’ sight. Exactly at 3 am in the morning, water from the
temple, consecrated through recital of mantras by pujaris
or priests, is poured over the idol as part of its ritual bath.
(The consecrated water is filled in a conch and used for
the ritual bath. This is what they call ‘S ankhabhishekam’).
The holy water is then thirstily and religiously drunk
by devotees in the hope of getting their diseases, phy si-
cal deformities or any health-related dangers healed
since they believe the liquid has miraculous properties!
Sankh
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9. THE STRICTEST IN
THE
COUNTRY
Known as the strictest in the country in enforcing its rules,
regulations and conditions, Sri Krishna Temple is not ready
for any compromise, come what may, even if Gods landed from
heaven and pleaded. This may be why liberals always come out
in the open in protest against the Temple’s commandments.
What else one can explain about the following reported ac-
tions: former President Zail Singh was denied entry; former
Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi too met with the same
harshness; Sonia Gandhi too had to face such rigidity, even the
great K J Yesudas, a musical maestro and a son of the soil, had
to retreat because he was a Christian (not now) and was never
allowed t o p erform i n t he Te mple p remises t hough h is s ongs,
bhajans, keerthans, etc. ring aloud in and around the precincts!
Mo st startling f act i s t hat a ll t hese restrictions were b ased on
re ligion as if the afore said person alit ies were son s and dau ght
ers
of lesser Gods!Dress code too comes in the same strictest zone.
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10. If anyon e has the dre am of mov ing arou nd the Temp le pre -
cincts in jeans , T- shirts an d shor ts, bett er he give s a miss
to his plan to visit for the simp le re ason that such mod-
ern an d tre ndy dre sses are uncomprom ising ly a no here !
Me n are supp osed to we ar on ly mu ndu arou nd their
wai st an d move arou nd wit h bare chest. If any shy in-
dividu al is too ins istent , he can we ar a pi ece of clot h
called ve sht i to cove r his chest; not hing more is al-
lowe d. Boy s are allowe d to we ar shor ts, but no shirt then!
Gi rls an d wom en t oo c an i n n o w ay h ar bou r any t hou ght s of
we ar ing shor ts an d jeans an d lazing ab out . Wom en can we ar
sar i an d blou se while girls long skirt an d blou se. Recent ly
Temp le aut hor it ies have been kind in allow ing a re laxat ion
in cont rast to it s rigidit y, that too wit hin the stan dard s of de-
cency t hat t he a dministrat ion h as s et: wom en n ow c an we ar
shalwar kam meez (chu ridar pyjam as)! Anot her not ab le thing
is that unlike in Nor th of the cou nt ry, wom en an d girls need
not cove r their heads here ! No fo ot we ar, no mobi le phon es
an d cam e as of any type ins ide the Temp le pre mises, strictly!
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11. Elephant Fort
Or
AnakottaAnimal love rs am ong the devot ees too have their cup of tea
here at Punat hoor Kott a elephant yard , the tethering sit e or
hom e to 56 elephant s belong ing to Sri Krishna Temp le. Also
know n as Anakott a (Elephant For t), the place is hom e to the
large st p opu lat ion of c apt ive m ale As ian e lephant s. T hese e l-
ephant s, don at ed by non e ot her than the devot ees thems elve s,
som etimes becom e the idols of wor ship as in the case of fa-
mou s Gu ruvay ur Ke sav an . Becau se of their associat ion wit h
the Temp le, devot ees cons ider s eve ral of t hem as living for ms
of Gu ruvayo or app an hims elf. The most stu nning examp le is
that of Guruvay ur Kesav an , which eve n after fou r decades of its
demise is the idol of wor ship for devot ees an d Temp le aut hor-
it ies! To h on ou r t he roy al p achyd erm, e ve ry ye ar on it s d eat h
an nive rsar y, tribut es are pai d to the life -size statu e of the lat e
tu ske r, fo llowe d by a g ran d fe ast t o ot her e lephant s! A not her
int ere sting fact con nected wit h these friendly elephant s is
that the Temp le aut hor it ies ut ilize their immens e cap acit y for
service for c ar rying i dols i n t he pro cession k now n a s S hive li.
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12. It is not that any Tom , Dick an d Har ry am ong them can
re nder that service. He re too a comp etit ion is org an ized
to select the comp etent elephant that car ries out that task
efficient ly an d smoot hly. Anayott am : He nce the need for
a race to decide on the elephant . All inmat es of the camp
will par ticip at e in the elephant race. Know n as Anayott am
(Elephant R ace); t he e ve nt att racts t hou san ds of t ou rists t o
the place. The camp is op en to pu blic from 9 am to 5 pm .
Chembai Mu
sic
Fe stivalMOR E AT TRAC TION S: Now for devot ees, who wish to
be showe re d wit h divine grace, Gu ruvay ur an d som e of
it s neighb ou rhood are blessed wit h more temp les ded-
icat ed to Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva an d Lord Vi shnu .
Prom inent am ong them are : Venkit achalap at hy Temp le in
Gu ruvay ur, dedicat ed to Lord Vi shnu like in Thirupp a-
thy ; then Ma hadevan Temp le in Mam miyur, where Lord
Shiva or Ma hadevan is the deit y- the belief am ong devo -
tees is that a pi lgrimage to Gu ruvay ur is incomp lete wit h-
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13. out of fe ring pr aye rs at this termp le-.the unavoi dab le Par-
thasar at hy Temp le, cre dit ed wit h an idol of Par thasar at hy
(Lord Krishna re pre sent ed as guiding Arju na), endowe d
wit h an ambi ence suit ab le for silent pr aye rs an d medit at ion
an d re ndere d att ractive wit h beaut iful structu re s an d imag-
es on it s walls an d finally Shiva Temp le in Chow alloor re -
now ned as on e of the 108 Shivalay as (ab odes of Lord Shiva).
Art l ove rs t oo h ave e nou gh t o f ill t heir c up of h appi ness w it h
cultu ral fe stivals like Chemb ai Mu sic Fe stival, Nar ay an eeyam
Day, Po ont han am Day an d Krishnan att am perfor man ces.
Real Estate
Pro spects
All these att ractions oblige on e to con clu de that there is an
immens e scop e for re al estat e boom since lodge s, hot els an d
all such structu re s, inclu ding re sidences, are in gre at deman d
as the nu mb er of devot ees an d pi lgrimage tou rists is on the
rise I w as for tu nat e e nou gh t o h ave a l ook at t he s wan ky an d
plu sh h ot els, l odge s an d re stau rant s, p alat ial h ou ses an d v il-
las, e ve n ord inar y on es, t hat c at er t o t he d evot ees, r ich, m id-
dle class an d the ord inar y, from a distan ce. May be, there we re
comp lai nt s of i nadequ at e a ccom modat ions i n t he t ow n e ar li-
er an d that may be the re ason why lot s of hot els, lodge s an d
re stau rant s an d ot her structu re s spr ang up like mu shro oms .
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14. If my k now ledge is c or re ct, i n terms of c ollection f rom d ev-
ot ees, Gu ruvay ur Te mp le i s t he t hird r ichest i n t he c ou nt ry,
an d is still cou nt ing . This is enou gh a hint to re al estat e
shar ks that their int ere sts are goi ng to be re alized if they
make a plan ned ent ry int o the temp le tow n. Eve n giant s in
the f ield h ave t he chan ce to m ake t heir pre sence fe lt by opt -
ing for lu xuriou s star an d middle-class hot els, re stau rant s
an d lodge s, that cat er to the needs of extre mely rich an d
middle-class devot ees an d pi lgrimage tou rists eve n from
the f ar- aw ay s tat es l ike Utt ar Pr adesh an d P unj ab. B ut n ev-
er eve r stoop you rself to expect that lan d is cheap here .
This is a stat e where urban -rural dispar it y is the lowe st in
the cou nt ry an d for the sam e re ason the re al estat e pr ic-
es too will not have that yaw ning gap as in ot her stat es.
Once I cam e acro ss a mason or car pent er based in Er-
naku lam -the chief trade cent re of Ko chi- an d was
stu nned to hear the marg in of prof it these peop le rake
in by way of plu sh hot els, re stau rant s an d lodge s an d
palat ial re sidence an d ap ar tment blocks an d villas.
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15. Fabulou s
Ho tels,
Restaura nts
And Lodges.
A villa that will cost you Rs
1.25 crore is constructed with-
in the range of Rs 50 lakh to
Rs 60 lakh. So that is the bene-
fit that is at stake in this temple
town for moneybags in the field.
As Guruvayur’s pilgrimage des-
tination prestige is spreading far
and wide, I think more devotees
are likely to throng the famous
temple and such a scenario paves
the way for more fabulous hotels,
restaurants a nd l odges. Mo reover,
many devotees or others may be in
a mood to shift their base to one
of the abodes of Lord Krishna or
Guruvayoorappan. A lready a part-
ment, residence and villa blocks
in galore have come up here and
more are on the anv il. Such clus-
ters of these blocks are likely
to find favour with a section of
devotee customers as the prices
cannot go beyond the roof to the
extent of being mind-boggling.
At the same time, people in
this state are in the habit of ex-
pending a lot for food, house,
accommodation and clothes.

16. That s ituation i s c onducive f or b ig g uns, w ho a re i nterested
in dealing with expensive abodes and medium-sized guns
who opt for both luxurious and ordinary ones in accor-
dance with their capacity. I never came across any plush
mall or huge hy permarket or swanky shopping complex in
this temple town and a c asual o bservation d oes n ot g ive any
impression of hectic business activity here. And I was con-
vinced beyond doubt by a local businessman that trade is
not that roaring as in nearby Chavakkadu and Ku nnamku-
lam. That does not prevent any body from trying their luck
in t his ‘e conomically p otential’ t emple t own w ith h uge d ev-
otee presence. Availability of any thing under the sun here
will only g ladden t hose i nterested i n s hopping s pree a s t hey
need not travel extra miles to aforesaid neighbouring towns.
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17. AC CESSIBILITY: Ac cessibility to Guruvayur by way of any
mode of transport is easy. A devotee or a tourist from any
corner of the country or world can reach here by air or rail
transport. If they land at Thrissur (only by train) or Calicut
or Ko chi ( both r ail a nd a ir), i t i s w ell a nd g ood b ecause t heir
destination is nearby. If they alight at Thiruvananthapuram
or Tr ivandrum (both rail and air), it is a little bit far and t hey
have to undergo a journey of eight to nine hours by train to
their d estination of Guruvayur. Tr ansport f acility of a ny t ype
like trains, taxis, private and KSRT C buses and autorick-
shaws is in plenty here and connectivity is more than enough!
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