GURUVAYUR SRI KRISHNA TEMPLE
Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Krishna (anavatar of the god Vishnu), located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus of Kerala and is often referred to as "Bhuloka Vaikunta"which translates to the "Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth".
The presiding deity of the Guruvayur Temple is Vishnu, worshipped in the form of Krishna. The central icon is a four-armed standing Krishna carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana Chakra, the maceKaumodaki and a lotus with a Holy basilgarland. This image represents the majestic form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of Krishna's birth; hence Guruvayur is also known as "Dwarka of South India". He is currently worshipped 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 Cennas Narayanan Nambudiri (born in 1427). The Cennas Nambudiris are the hereditary tantris (high priest) of the Guruvayur Temple.
The temple (puja) routines are strictly followed.
PADMAPRIYA I
Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Krishna (anavatar of the god Vishnu), located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus of Kerala and is often referred to as "Bhuloka Vaikunta"which translates to the "Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth".
The presiding deity of the Guruvayur Temple is Vishnu, worshipped in the form of Krishna. The central icon is a four-armed standing Krishna carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana Chakra, the maceKaumodaki and a lotus with a Holy basilgarland. This image represents the majestic form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of Krishna's birth; hence Guruvayur is also known as "Dwarka of South India". He is currently worshipped 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 Cennas Narayanan Nambudiri (born in 1427). The Cennas Nambudiris are the hereditary tantris (high priest) of the Guruvayur Temple.
The temple (puja) routines are strictly followed.
PADMAPRIYA I
The temple tank(pond) on the northern side of the temple is called "Rudratheertham".The legend say that for thousands of year,Lord shiva and his family worshipped Lord Vishnu on the southern bank of this pond,the current location of the temple,and as Shiva is also knowm by the name 'Rudra',the pond came to known as 'Rudratheertham'.
ReplyDeleteIt is said that in the ancient days,the pond extended up to Mammiyur and Thamarayur (about 3 km away from the temple) and was known for its ever blooming magical lotus flowers pracetas came to this place to do undergo a tapasya to become "the king of all kings" with the help of god Vishnu.Sensing the motive of the Pracetas,siva emerged from the sacred tank and revealed to them the "Rudragitam",a hymn in praise of Vishnu .siva suggested them to chant the hymn with all their heart to get their wishes fulfilled.The princes won the favour of Vishnu after rigorous tapasya for 10,000 years on the banks of the tank after bathing on it by chanting the hymns.
by Chandra Kala
ReplyDeleteIn this temple there is a dress code to be followed which is the boys are only allowed to wear mundu around thier waist or trousers and No shirts to be weared and girls can wear sarees and chudithars not skirts or trousers . They should be fully covered.
ReplyDeleteN.Savitha
According to legends, the deity worshipped here is more than 5000 years old.In the 14th century, "Kokasandesam" (a Tamil literary work), references to a place called Kuruvayur are made. As early as the 16th century (fifty years after Narayaniyam was composed) many references to Kuruvayur are seen. In ancient Dravidian languages, "kuruvai" means "sea", hence the village on the Malabar Coast may be called Kuruvayur. The earliest temple records date back to the 17th century. The earliest mention of the many important Vishnu temples of Kerala are found in the songs of Alwars, Tamil saints, whose time-line is not exactly fixed.[5] Mamankam was a very famous local event at Tirunavaya, on the bank of Bharatappuzha. The battles between the Kozhikode under Samoothiris and Valluvanad popularised Guruvayur Temple. Due to the prolonged battles, people across the riverbank started preferring Guruvayur. Even the Samoothiri of Kozhikode become a devotee and thus his subjects followed him. The central shrine that is seen today is said to have been rebuilt in 1638 AD. "Viswabali" was performed later to propitiate all the spirits, good and bad. By the end of the 16th century Guruvayur had become the most popular pilgrimage centre in Kerala-Deepa
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