Guruvayoor Temple

Location : 29 Kms North-West Of Thrissur, Kerala
Popularly Known as : Dwaraka of the South
Dedicated To : Lord Krishna
Significance : Most Important Hindu Pilgrim Centre in Kerala

Guruvayoor Temple is one of the biggest like Tirupati, Badami, and Puri. The presiding deity is four armed Lord Maha Vishnu, while his reincarnation Lord Krishna is worshipped by devotees here. The devotees have unflinching faith in the wish fulfilling that makes the greatness and glory of this temple special. The legend has it that the temple was erected by Guru and his disciple Vayudeva (Air) on receiving the recommendations of Lord Paramashiva who conjoining the names of Guru and Vayu named the place as Guruvayoor.

Guruvayoor is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim places in Kerala. The idol is carved out of an utmost sacred stone 'Pathala Anjana Sila'. The walls of the famous Krishna Temple are inlaid with exquisite carvings and paintings. The temple is also foremost in rice feeding ceremonies and hosting the maximum number of marriages.

At the outer enclosure, ‘Chuttambalam’, of the temple there is a 33.5-m tall ‘Dwajastambham’ the flag post that is gold-plated. The square is the most sacred part of the temple called ‘Sreekovil’ that houses the main deity. Also within the temple are images of Ganapathi, Edathedathi Kavil Bhagavathi and Sree Ayyappa. At little distance of 2 Kms there is home of 50 temple elephants.
How to Get There
Air : Nearest international airport is at Nedumbassery (87 km).
Road : The place is well connected to neighbouring places by good motorable roads.

Timings
The temple is open 03:00 am to 01:00 pm & 04:30pm to 08:30 pm.