Guruvayur Temple
The Guruvayur Temple (Gurupawanapuri) a famous Indian Hindu temple located in the town of Guruvayur in Thrissur district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Guruvayurappan) but popularly known as Krishna. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikuntha (Vaikuntha in the earthly realm). The temple is Classified one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.
| Guruvayur Temple (Gurupawanapuri) | |
|---|---|
Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Thrissur |
| Deity | Guruvayurappan (Vishnu with four arms) in his form of Krishna |
| Festivals | Janmashtami, Kumbham Utsavam, Guruvayur Ekadasi |
| Governing body | Guruvayur Devaswom Board |
| Location | |
| Location | Guruvayur |
| State | Kerala |
| Country | India |
Location in Kerala Guruvayur Temple (India) Guruvayur Temple (Asia) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 10.5945°N 76.0390°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Kerala Architecture |
| Creator | As per tradition, Vishwakarma (sculptor) Brihaspati and Vayu (pratishta) |
| Completed | The temple was completed around 14th century, The earliest temple records date back to the 17th century. |
| Inscriptions | Murals |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Website | |
| www | |
The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana, the mace Kaumodaki, and a lotus with a tulasi garland. This image represents the form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of his birth. Worship proceeds according to routines laid down by Adi Shankara and later written formally in the Tantric way, the inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, by Chennas Ravinarayanan Nambudiri (1427-1527), whose descendants are the hereditary tantris (high priests) of the Guruvayur Temple.
The temple is managed by A special administrative authority under the control of the Government of Kerala. The main festivals of this temple are the 10-day festival in the Malayalam month of Kumbham starting with flag hoisting on Pooyam star, Krishna Janmashtami (Birthday of Krishna) in the month of Chingam, Ekadasi (11th day) in the shukla paksha (bright fortnight) in the month of Vrischikam, popularly called as the Guruvayur Ekadasi and Vishu on the first day of the month of Medam, once a harvest festival. The temple's sub-deities are Ganapathi, Ayyappan, and Bhagavathi (Who is given more importance), and there are two sub-temples, one for Ganapati and the other for Nagadevathas (Snake deities nearby the temple. All non-Hindus are prohibited from entry within the Guruvayur Temple.