About Guruvayoor Temple

The Guruvayoor Temple is located at a distance of 29 kilometers to the west of Trichur. The Kerala Guruvayur temple is one of the most respected and popular pilgrim centers. The Guruvayoor Temple Tour will enlighten you about religious beliefs and traditions of the people of Kerala. The origin of the temple goes back to 16th century AD. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. It is believed that Lord Brahma himself worshiped this very idol at Dwarka. One can find idols of Lord Ganapati, Sri Ayyappa and Edathedathy Kavil Bhagavathy also in this temple.

Legends say that the temple at Dwarka, dedicated to Lord Krishna was destroyed when the holy city of Dwarka got submerged under the sea. Guru, the preceptor of Gods and Vayu, the God of Winds were bestowed with the task of finding a similar sacred site for constructing a new temple. When the place was finally selected, it was named Guruvayoor and the deity came to be known as Guruvayoorappan.

In your Guruvayoor Temple Tour, you will see a 33.5 meter high gold-plated 'dhwajastambham' or flag-mast in the 'chuttambalam' or the outer enclosure of the temple. The 7 meter high 'dipastambham' or pillar of lamps has 13 circular receptacles, which glows beautifully in the evening when the diyas are lit. After this comes the entrance to the main shrine. The inner sanctum has ten pillars on the two raised platforms with beautiful carvings, on either sides of the main aisle. The square shaped Sri Kovil is the sacred sanctum of the temple where the main deity can be seen. The temple walls are adorned with exquisite paintings and huge murals. The temple is well-known for its magical healing powers. The temple only allows Hindus to enter. Guruvayoor is the only temple in Kerala where wedding ceremonies and annaprasanam (the first rice feeding ceremony of child) are held.

Climate

The Trichur/Thrissur city witnesses a tropical climate, where the summers are hot and the monsoons humid. The summer season is spread between the months of March and may whereas the Monsoon season sets in June. The summer months witness high temperature and the mercury goes as high as 35º C. During the winter period, the temperature in Trichur remains moderate (30º C - 20º C). The best time to travel to Trichur is from October to February when the weather remains quite moderate and pleasant. It is advisable that you carry light tropical cottons while traveling to Trichur.

Transportation

Reaching Thrissur is not difficult at all as there are many ways for traveling to Trichur. Trichur is a very important city of Kerala and is well connected to the state and the rest of the country. So read on further about getting to Trichur and learn about how to reach Trichur.

• Air: The international airport nearest to Trichur is at Cochin, which is located 55 kilometers away. The Kozhikode airport is 80 kilometers from Trichur.
• Rail: Trichur railway station is an important railway station and many trains ply at this station, thus connecting this place with the rest of Kerala and India. The railway station of Thrissur lies on the main railway line that connects Kerala with the rest of India. Hence, Thrissur railway station is an important one.
• Bus: Trichur is easily accessible by roads as the place is well connected to all major cities as well as villages by a wide network of roads and many highways pass through this place. National Highway number 47 passes through this place.