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INTRODUCTION

Guruvayoor situated at a distance of about 29kms away from Thrissur district in Kerala is also known as Bhoolokavaikunta or Heaven on Earth. Once we say Guruvayoor the main thing which immediately strikes in a person is the Sree Krishna temple which is considered to be one of the most important pilgrimage centres in South India. This temple is noted for its unique style of architecture and each day the temple witnesses thousands of devotees both from within the country and outside the country. Apart from the tourist and the pilgrim crowd coming here this temple is also very famous as a venue for Hindu marriages and 'Annaprasanam', the first feeding ceremony of child. The other nearby attractions includes the elephant sanctuary at Punnathur Kotta, the Mammiyur temple, ISKCON centre and Chowallur beach.

HISTORY

The history behind the name Guruvayoor is that it is derived out of three words namely Guru (Brihaspathi), Vayu (Wind God) and Oor (Land).Guruvayoor is also popularly referred as the Dwarka of the South. The legend associated with the history of this temple is that it was destroyed when the city of Dwaraka got submerged in water. So the preceptor of the Gods, and his disciple Vayu, God of Winds went in search of another holy spot to install the idol of Krishna. Finally after a period of time they came to Kerala and met its legendary creator Parasurama.They were then taken by Parasurama to a beautiful lake which was full of lotus and the idol was finally placed here which is now the Guruvayurappan temple. The lake of lotus still remains here as the temple tank, Rudratirtha.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The ideal time to visit Guruvayoor is between the months of October to March.

LOCATION

Guruvayoor in the state of Kerala is situated towards the north of the Thrissur district. It coordinates at 10.35�N 76.2E.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Pooram

The Pooram festival is one of the major festivals of Kerala which is celebrated in the Vadakkumnathan Temple. It falls during the month of April-May.
On the eve of this festival Gods and Goddesses from the different temples is brought to the Thekkinkadu Maidan in a grand display accompanied by drums and music.
During this festival an all India Exhibition is held in the temple premises.

Arattupuzha pooram

Arattupuzha pooram is one of the most colourful carnivals of Kerala which is celebrated in April-May every year. The celebration includes bringing of idols from 41 temples in the neighborhood villages as a procession on rows of decorated elephants. It is believed that Arattupuzha was so called, because the deities, `Arat" in the waters of the Arattupuzha river.

Onam

Onam or Thiruvonam is the biggest annual harvest festival of Kerala where the celebrations goes on for ten days,begining with the atham day of the Malayalam month chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali.The major activities for onam involves worshipping, music, dances, sports, boat races and of course good food. The other main highlights of the onam festival include floral decorations, elephant processions, thiruvathirakali, classical and folk dance performances, classical and folk music recitals, cultural pageants and water carnivals.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Sri Krishna Temple

Sri Krishna Temple is known for its unique style of architecture which is small when compared to other temples in south India. The main entrance of this temple is known as Bholoka Vaikuntham and it faces the eastern direction. The prime deity of this temple is the child form of Lord Krishna, known as Balagopalan.Apart from the tourist and the pilgrim crowd coming here this temple is also very famous as a venue for Hindu marriages and 'Annaprasanam', the first feeding ceremony of child. Apart from the deity the other attraction is the gold plated dwajastambam or flag ship which rises upto 110 ft high. This is the birth place of the folk art, Krishnattam.

Zoo and Art Museum

State Museum Complex is situated in the heart of the town of Thrissur at Town Hall Road in Chembukavu.It accommodates both the Kerala State Museum and Zoo which is one of the major attraction visiting the town of Thrissur.The State Museum which started in 1885 is spread over an area of about 5.5 acres and has an Art Section which exhibits collection of sculptures, handicrafts, traditional jewelries, religious idols, Kathakali figures and traditional lamps. The Complex also includes a Natural History Museum with exhibits of different animals, a botanical garden and a Zoological garden.

Punnathoorkotta

Punnathoorkotta is supposed to be the largest elephant park in the world and is situated at a distance of about 2 kms away from Guruvayur.Punnathoorkotta accommodates nearly 60 tuskers which are mostly donated to the Guruvayoor temple by the devotees of Lord Krishna. It is an amazing sight to see these elephants getting groomed.
These elephants are used to carry Guruvayur temple idols in the procession known as Shiveli.The maintainence of this elephant camp is extremely good. The camp is opened to the public from 9am to 5pm.

Arattupuzha

Arattupuzha is situated at a distance of about 14kms away Thrissur and it houses a famous Ayyappa temple. The main attraction of Arattupuzha is the Arattupuzha pooram which is one of the most colourful carnivals of Kerala which is celebrated in April-May every year. The celebration includes bringing of idols from 41 temples in the neighborhood villages as a procession on rows of decorated elephants. It is believed that Arattupuzha was so called, because the deities, `Arat" in the waters of the Arattupuzha river.

Chamundeswari Temple

Very close to the Guruvayur temple is the Chamundeswari Temple whose presiding deity is Sri Chamundeswari who is the incarnation of Lord Durga.This is a very ancient temple and it attracts a lot of tourist and pilgrims. The temple is open every day from 5 am to 10.45 am and 4.45 pm to 8 pm.

Kaladi

It was here in Kaladi Sri Adi Shankaracharya, a great philosopher and saint was born. He was a great preacher of monistic or advaita philosophy. He worked a lot on the upliftment of the Hindu religion where he was trying to eradicate the ritualistic and superstitious state prevailed in the religion.

SHOPPING

The silk materials here are very attractive which draws a lot of tourist attention. Brass artifacts with intricate work done, minute work of embellishments in gold done on ornaments is also quite famous are all of great interest to the tourist coming here. Some of the other common items in shopping list include devotional materials, dress materials, antiques, toys, electronic items, mural paintings, embroidery items, handicrafts and fancy items.

EAT OUTS Apart from the small vegetarian thalis present in and around the temple, there are good places to eat in Thrissur. 1.Seafort Near K.S.R.T.C. Bus Stand, Thrissur -680 001 0487 2424067 2.Hot Pot Hotel Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Thrissur, Kerala 3.Chicking Trichur-Palghat Road, Thrissur, Kerala 4.EFC Cemetery Road, Thrissur, Kerala 5.Sreebhavan Vegetarian Restaurant High Road, Ollur, Thrissur, Kerala ACCOMMODATION 1.Hotel Sopanam Heritage East Nada, Guruvayur-681001, Kerala 2.Fort Gate Kottappady, Guruvayoor, Thrissur, Kerala, India 3.Hotel Elite East Nada, Guruvayur, Kerala - 680 101 0487 2556215, 2556216, 2556217 4.Krishna Inn East-Nada P.O., Guruvayur-680101, Kerala 5.Hotel Vishak International East Nada, Guruvayoor, Thrissur-680010, Kerala, India 6.Mayura Residency West Nada, Guruvayur Thrissur,Kerala,India-680 101. 0487 - 2557174 7.Hotel Vanamala Kusumam South Nada Guruvayur-680 101 8.Rvee's Hotel Regency and Rvee's Auditorium East Nada, Guruvayoor, Thrissur DT, Kerala, India 680101 9.Poornima Tourist Home East Nada, Guruvayoor Thrissur, Kerala 10.Murali Hotels and Resorts Pvt. Ltd P.B. No. 16, West Nada, Guruvayoor-680101, Thrissur

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GETTING THERE

By Air

The nearest airport to Guruvayur is Nedumbassery International Airport at Kochi, at a distance of 65 km. Taxi services are available from Kochi to Guruvayur costing about Rs 800. Kochi airport is well connected to all major airports in India and also connected to many foreign cities. Direct flights are available to Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

By Train

Guruvayur Railhead connects to Thrissur. Thrissur is the major railhead nearest to Guruvayur and is located at a distance of about 27 km. Taxi services are available from Thrissur to Guruvayur for a charge of Rs 400. Thrisuur is well connected by trains to all major stations in India.

By Bus

State owned transport bus services are available from all cities in Kerala to Guruvayur. Private bus services are available from Kochi, Thrissur and North Paravur. Super deluxe buses connect Guruvayur with other important cities like Kochi, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Palaghat, Chennai, Salem, Coimbatore and Bangalore.