Sri Krishna Temple, Guruvayur - Lord Guruvayurappan

Guruvayoor Temple (Guruvayur Temple), the most renowned temple of the state, the presiding deity of this temple is lord Vishnu as Krishna. The earliest available temple records date back to the 17th century. But the literary texts and legends indicate that the temple is about 5000 years old. At the time of the conclusion of his incarnation as Krishna, lord Vishnu told his devotee and minister ‘Uddhava’ that his image idol would come floating in the sea which would soon engulf Dwaraka. Uddhava requested Brihaspati (Guru of the Gods) to install the image at a suitable place.

When this came to pass, Brihaspati and the God of wind set out in search of a sacred place to house the deity. They met Parasurama, an earlier incarnation of lord Vishnu, who was bringing the same deity to Dwaraka. Parasurama led them to a beautiful lake full of lotus. Lord Shiva was doing penance there and he told them to install the two deities together at a spot near the lake. The site was named ‘Guruvayoopuram’. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati left for Mammiyoor, on the opposite bank of the lake. In ancient Dravidian literature, Kuruvai means sea. Hence the village on the coast may be called Guruvayur.

The temple features a typical Kerala type architecture. The temple is small in size and the main deity can be seen from the entrance gate. On the day of Kerala New Year ‘Vishu’, the sun’s rays caress the feet of the deity. There are two entrances to the temple one from the eastern and the other from the western side. The temple pooja routines are strictly followed. The Melsanthi (Chief Priest) enters the sanctum sanctorum in the morning and does not drink anything up to the completion of noon worship. Non Hindus are not allowed in the temple.