Guruvayur is one of the sacred and important religious towns in India. This temple town is very famous for its Sri Krishna Temple which is in the list of the 108 most divine Vishnu temples in the world. According to Hindu and religious texts, the temple is believed to be about 5000 years old. Guruvayur is located in the Thrissur district in the state of Kerala in South India. The closest airport to this temple town is Kochi, around 82 km away.

The presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple is Vishnu, worshipped in the form of his avatar, Krishna. The main deity is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying a conch, the discus, the mace and a lotus and adorned with a holy basil or Tulsi garland. Legend states that Krishna asked two sages to bring the idol from his temple in Dwarka to this holy place in Kerala. The idol was brought by Vayudeva and Guru Bruhaspathi and hence the place was called Guruvayur. The idol is said to be made of a powerful stone called “Patala Anjanama” that is known to have several healing and miraculous properties.

The Guruvayur temple was built according to the traditional Kerala temple architecture. The “chuttambalam” or courtyard is paved with roughly hewn granite slabs and has ornate pillars adorned with statues at its periphery. The “sreekovil” or the sanctum sanctorum is at the center of the temple. The main entrance (Nada) of the temple is on the eastern side. There is another entrance from the west as well. From the main doorway or entrance, the idol of Guruvayur Krishna is visible to the eye. Along the doorway to the inner sanctum are ten beautifully carved pillars on either side where the golden writings of “Narayaneeyam” were inscribed in the praise of Lord Guruvayur.  The temple is graced by a large pond to its northern side, which is known as the “Rudratheertham”. Apart from Lord Guruvayurappan, the temple also houses idols of Bhagavathy, Ganapathy and Sastha.

It is believed that Vishwakarma, the divine architect built the first temple here. A special feature of the construction is that the Sun God pays obeisance to Lord Vishnu on Vishu day (Lunar New year). On the auspicious day of Vishu, the Sun’s rays fall directly at the feet of Lord Vishnu.

One of the interesting features in the temple is the “Dipastambham” or a pillar of lamps. The best time to visit the temple is during celebrations and festivals where this pillar is completely lit with lamps and the glow in the temple is a sight to behold. One of the major festivals celebrated in Guruvayur is the festival during the month of March according to the Malayalam calendar. It is a ten-day long Aaratt festival that starts with an elephant race and ends with the ritual immersion of the idol.

The legend of Guruvayur temple is inseparable from its temple elephants, the most famous of them being Guruvayur Kesavan who was honored with the title of “Gajarajan” (Elephant King).

Guruvayur temple is governed by some of the most stringent dress codes of any temple in India. Men can only wear Dhotis with no clothing on their upper body. Ladies may wear Saris or Salwar kameez.

Guruvayur Krishna temple is known to be “Bhuloka Vaikunta” or abode of Lord Vishnu on earth. Compared to many temples in South India, the Guruvayur temple is quite small – however what it lacks in size it more than makes up in terms of fame and the unshakable faith of its devotees that visit the temple every year.