Guruvayur, near Thrissur in South Kerala, is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrim centers in India .It has the famous temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. Just as the Tirumala Venkateshwara has become popular in Andhra Pradesh, So is this Krishna temple of Guruvayur in Kerala. Like Tirumala, Guruvayur temple also rests on the faith of the devotees, that the Lord fulfils the desires of the devotees.

Known as the ‘Dwaraka of the South', Guruvayur temple has very interesting traditions around it. The idol of Sri Krishna at Guruvayur is believed to be an ancient one, which was being worshipped by Brahma himself at Dwaraka. After the pilgrim city of Dwaraka became submerged in the sea, Sri Krishna decided to leave His mortal body at Prabhasa Kshetra in Sourashtra for His heavenly abode. According to tradition, it is believed that Sri.Krishna Himself gave his idol which was at Dwaraka, to His foremost disciple and devotee, Uddhava to be installed in a safe place.

As instructed by Sri.Krishna, Uddhava sought the help of Guru, the preceptor of the Gods and his disciple Vayu, the God of Winds, in finding an equally holy spot for installing the idol of Krishna . After a long quest for a most suitable site, they entered Kerala, which had been created by Parasurama. They approached Shiva and Parvathi who were staying near a beautiful lake of lotus flowers in Kerala, called Rudra Tirtha. As suggested by Shiva and Parvati and by their blessings, the idol of Krishna was duly installed at the spot beside the lake. As the side was selected by Guru and Vayu, the place came to be called as “Guruvayupura”, which later on became popular as ‘Guruvayur'. Krishna was lovingly called as 'Guruvayurappan' or the Lord of Guruvayur. Shiva and Parvati stayed on the opposite bank of the lake, which came to be called as Mammiyar, where a Shiva temple has now been constructed. It is believed that he original shrine of Krishna at Guruvayur, according to mythology, was built by Vishwakarma, the celestial architect at the instance of Guru and Vayu.

The famous epic Mahabharata mentions that king Parikshit died of a cobra bite due to a curse; king janamejaya, son of king Parikshit performed a serpent sacrifice (Sarpa yaga), in which thousand of innocent snakes were killed. All these snakes cursed Janamejaya to suffer from leprosy. The afflicted king, in great despair, approached sage Dattatreya for a remedy, who advised him to worship Sri Krishna at Guruvayur. Accordingly, Janamejaya stayed at Guruvayur for four months worshipping Lord Krishna Twelve times a day, observing strict austerities and drinking only the water from Rudra Tirtha. Thus, the Janemejaya was cured of his ailments. There is a story which relates to a Pandyan king who had similar skin ailments and by worshipping Sri Krishna at Guruvayur, got cured of the disease. It is said that this Pandyan king constructed the original temple for Krishna at Guruvayur. All the historical evidences about the origin of this temple unfortunately, are lost in antiquity.

The main entrance to Sri.Krishna temple is on the eastern side known as ‘Bhooloka Vaikunta Nada'. The outer enclosure known as ‘Chuttambalam' has a tall teak wood 34 metre high flag post (Dhwaja stambha), fully gold plated on bell metal. There is also a pillar for lighting lamps (Deepa Stambha) 7 metres high, having thirteen circular receptacles to hold the wicks and oil. This ‘Deepa Stambha' is dated 1836 A.D. having been donated by a devotee from Tiruvananthapuram. When the lamps are lit, it truly provides a gorgeous spectacle.

Just beyond this is the entrance to the inner enclosure. There are ten exquisitely carved pillars on two raised platforms, one on either side of the passage.

The ‘Sanctum sanctorum'(Garbhagriha or Srikovil) is a square two storeyed structure which houses the idol of Sri Krishna. This beautiful idol is made out of a special stone called ‘Patala anjanam'. It has four arms holding the conch, the discuss, the mace and the lotus flower. Pearl necklaces of fabulous value and sacred Tulasi garlands adorn the deity. The ‘Uthsava Murthy' of Krishna is of a similar golden idol.

As the temple stands today, most parts of it appear to belong to the 17th century. The ancient portions have disappeared due to renovations and repairs. an inscription mentions that the western ‘Gopura' was built in 1747 A.D. As Pandita Narayana Bhatta wrote the famous Narayaneeyam in 1588 A.D., it is reasonable to presume that the temple must have been in existence at least some item prior to the 16th century. During the days of the invasion of this area by Tippu Sultan, the idol of Krishna was removed to Ambalapuzha in Travancore and was worshipped there. After the stormy days were over, the idol was again brought back to Guruvayur. The Maharaja of Travancore had arranged for special ‘Neivedyam' at Guruvayur to commemorate this incident of short visit of the deity to Ambalapuzha.

Within the inner enclosure are the subsidiary shrines for Ganapathy, Lord Ayyappan and Edattendattu Kavil Bhagavathi, also called as Druga.

It is said that the routine worship at the temple of Krishna was prescribed by Adi Shankara who happened to visit this palace. The procedure as laid down by him is still being followed to his day. Every day in the early morning at 3 a.m., the temple door opens for the ‘Nirmalya Darshanam' to the melodious strains of Ndaswaram and the continuous chanting of ‘Narayana, Narayana'. This is the first ‘Darshan' of Sri Krishna in which the idol is decorated with bare garlands and flowers of he previous day. Then there is the sacred bath (Abhisheka) for the idol after which the deity is represented as Bala Gopala or Krishna as a child. The mid-day worship is called ‘Uchaha Kala Puja'. In the evening, Krishna is elaborately bedecked, along with the ‘Deeparadhana'- lighting of the oil lamps all round the temple. There will be regular processions led by elephants around the temple. The last worship is in the night and the temple doors close at 10 p.m.

According the present procedure, no one can enter the Srikovil or touch the idol of Krishna except the Melsanthi, Tanthri, Othikkans and Kizhusantis ( priests of different status). All others should have ‘Darshan' only from a distance. Male Pilgrims and visitors have to take off shirts and upper garments when they enter the temple.

A number of festivals are celebrated at the Krishna temple. The ‘Mandalam' Festival is in Karthiak month and lasts for 41 days. In Magha month when the Sun is in Kumbha, another festival lasts for ten days. Sri Krishna janmashtami is a big festival. Onam, Gita Jayanthi on Margashira Ekadashi, and many others are regularly and elaborately observed.

The deity of Sri Krishna at Guruvayur is well known for its healing power and the devotees make several offerings to the deity to fulfill their desires. These range from simple offer of flowers and Tulasi garlands to expensive and elaborate ‘Udyasthamana pooja'. A common offering is called ‘Tulabhara' in which the devotee is weighed on a huge balancing scale against his choice of items as per his vow, such as jaggery, bananas, sugar, coconuts, etc., which is then donated to the temple. Most of the devotees from Kerala conduct the ‘Annaprashana' (The first feeding of the child at the temple. Another regular feature of the temple is the conduct of marriages in the presence of Lord Krishna. Guruvayur still continues to be quiet and peaceful from perfectly in tune with its surroundings. A pilgrimage to Guruvayur is a symphony of peace.

Guruvayur is called the Lourdes of India, a shrine where if due worship is offered with faith, the devout are reported to be cured of several ailments. Apart from pilgrims and visitors quite a number of ailing and maimed visit the shrine for miraculous cure.

Besides the famous Guruvayurappan shrine, there are other shrines around the town which attract crowds of pilgrims. Almost very near the Krishna temple is the ancient Shiva temple at Mammiyar. The Parthasarathy temple, close to the main temple, portrays Krishna as the Charioteer of Arjuna. There is also a temple for Venkateshwara of Tirumala, the Penumthatte Shiva temple and the Tamarayar Vishnu temple.

Guruvayur is 29 kms. from Thrissur and several state owned and private buses regularly ply to this place. Many important cities in Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnataka are connected by direct bus service. The nearest airport is Kochi , 90 kms, away. Guruvayur temple maintains a guest house with modern facilities for the convenience of pilgrims and visitors. There are several hotels, lodges and choultries which offer accommodation to suit any budget.