About Sree Guruvayoorappan in Guruvayoor Devotees Forum, Guruvayur

GURUVAYUR Temple ( Kerela)

As the name suggests Guru+ Vayu!
Guru is Brihaspati and Vayu is wind demigod.
This temple was established by them.

A brief about Guruvayur Krishna:

1) This deity was personally worshiped by Krishna himself in Dwarka.

2) At time of the ending of Dwarpa yug during the time of annihilation the deity was floating on the water on a baniyan tree leaf. The Lord personally gave this deity to Brihaspati and Vayu and ordered them to establish it in a appropriate place on earth.

3) Guru and Vayu brought this deity on the banks of Rudra-teertha where Lord Siva was doing penance for so many ages.

4) Upon seeing them with the deity of the Lord and realising why they have come. Lord Siva offered that place to the Lord and moved out to a near by location. ( lesson to be learnt from Lord Siva here is that, everything belongs to Lord Krishna, so stop falsely claiming things to be yours or think Anything belongs to us. It is all Krishna's property)

5)Lord Guruvayur Krishna blessed Lord Siva that since you moved out for me and gave me place, i bestow i benediction to you, That whoever comes to Guruvayur for my darshan will FIRST have to take your darshan. If they do not do so, i will not even look at them when they come to me. The place where Lord has shifted is known as Mammiyor, so the temple's name is Mammiyor Shiva temple
( see how Krishna is reciprocating with Lord Siva for his sacrifice. Therefore just surrender to Krishna with full faith)

Other Fascinating facts about Guruvayur Krishna temple

1) 1000 to 1500 litres of cow milk is offered to the Lord DAILY. On Ekadashi 2000 litres are offered.

2) The deity Krishna has 4 hands and in a playful form.

3)The biggest festivals are Guruvayur Ekadashi which falls at the end if November and Krishna Jananashtami.

4) Every day two times a day there is elephant procession inside the temple in which the utsava murti come out for a Royal and decorated elephant ride. It was jaw dropping to see it.

5) Special Banana is offered to the Lord here which also acts like a ayurveda medicine. No VIP darshan or paid darshan is facilitated here. Everyone has to go through a common que. Seniour citizens have a separate line with fixed timings.

3) The lord has 30 personal elephants. There are elephant races during the year which is enjoyed by the Lord.

4)The darshan opens at 3am.Butter is offered to the Lord. Here the Lord is treated and served like a small child here. Hence no spices are used in his bhogas.

4) There was a great devotee elephant on the name of Guruvayur Keshavam here. Who is famous for his love and services to the Lord.

5) The rights to the deity worship are only to the Nambodhari ( specific Bhrahmins) each pujari worships the Lord for 6 months. During that period. He will NOT leave the temple premises nor meet his family. He will just be in seva of the Lord.

6) The land Kerela was brought up from the sea by Lord Prashuram because he wanted to donate land to Bhrahmins.That is why is called " Gods own country". Kerela also means the land of coconuts. In the deity kitchen ONLY coconut is used to burn and cook the Bhogas. No wood is used. I was told many benefits and logic of using it by the Head cook.

7) Lord Guruvayur Krishna has performed many pastimes with HIS devotees here. Some of them are:

Punthaanam, Naryana Bhatta tad, Annjam Madhavan.

Once huge firebroke out in the Guruvayur temple. Then Annjam Madhavan went inside the alter and begged to Lord to come with outside the alter and temple as it had caught fire. As he bowed down and stretched his arms to touch the feet of the Lord to come. The Lord WALKED into his arms and Anjam Madhavan took the deity to his OWN home for several days. Like this numerous of instances and stories were narrated and Heard. Out of which i shared one.

Pooja Timings at Guruvayoor Temple

"Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya"

Guruvayur temple follows an elaborate system of rites, which according to tradition, is traced to Sri Adi Sankaracharya.The temple is open at 3 am and closes after the day's poojas and rituals around 10 pm. Normally there are five poojas and three circumambulatory processions called Sreeveli, propitiating the celestial deities and carrying the Lord's Thidambu on elephant's back. During the days of Udayasthamana Poojas there will be a total of twenty one poojas.


Time Pooja
3.00am to 3.20am Nirmalyam
3.20am to 3.30am Thailabhishekam, Vakacharthu, Sankhabhishekam
3.30am to 4.15am Malar Nivedyam, Alankaram
4.15am to 4.30am Usha Nivedyam
4.30am to 6.15am Ethirettu pooja followed by Usha pooja
7.15am to 9.00am Seeveli,Palabhishekam,Navakabhishekam, Pantheeradi Nivedyam, and Pooja
11.30am to 12.30pm Ucha pooja (The Noon Pooja)
4.30pm to 5.00pm Seeveli

6.00pm to 6.45pm Deeparadhana
7.30pm to 7.45pm Athazha pooja Nivedyam
7.45pm to 8.15pm Athazha pooja
8.45pm to 9.00pm Athazha seeveli
9.00pm to 9.15pm Thrippuka, Olavayana
9.15pm The Sreekovil will be closed.

* The timings given are approximate. It may vary if there is Udayasthamana pooja or on certain special occasions.