Guruvayur
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| ?Guruvayoor Kerala • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| District(s) | Thrissur |
| Population | 21,187 (2001) |
| Codes • Vehicle |
• KL-46 |
Guruvayur (also written Guruvayoor) is a small town in Thrissur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies 25 km to the north west of Thrissur City.
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[edit] Temple
Guruvayur is most famous for its temple[1], which is many centuries old and one of the most important in Kerala. The temple is famous as a site for pilgrimage and also a cultural centre as it is one of the centre-points along which Kerala literature and art-forms have been developed. The temple's deity is Lord Guruvayurappan. Non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the temple.
[edit] Legend
The most prominent legend regarding the temple's statuette ('murthi' is preferred) relates to Guru Brihaspathi and Vayu, the Wind God.
At the start of the current yuga, Brihaspathi found a floating statuette of Lord Krishna. He and Vayu installed the statuette in this temple to help mankind in this yuga. This legend forms the basis for the names of both the statuette (Guruvayurappan) and the town.[2]
[edit] Other Attractions
Another attraction is the famous Elephant Sanctuary (Punnathur kotta) near the temple where elephants are trained for temple purposes. There are currently more than 60 elephants, all of whom were offered by devotees of Lord Guruvayurappan.
The temple is a main site for Hindu marriages. a record number of marriages take place each day at the temple some times crossing 100 in a single day. Devotees of guruvayurappan think it is a blessing to start married life in front of the lord.
GOLOKA RETREATS The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has recently started on its center and guest house for pilgrims to the town.
ISKCON is now establishing a welfare center in the holy land of Guruvayur to facilitate pilgrims and visitors from far and wide with a rich spiritual experience. One of the element of the complex is an International Guest House, the first phase of which is underway. Set in the core of the land of Guruvayur, Goloka Retreats is a five minute walk from the main Guruvayur temple and is sandwiched between the same and the famous Mamiyur Lord Shiva temple.
The Retreat will house a restaurant, one among 80 odd restaurants of the society all over the world, with select cuisine. An Ayurvedic spa and Yoga studio will keep you fit in a spiritual ambience designed for the change that you so much desire in your life. [3]
[edit] Transport
Buses operate every few minutes from Thrissur Shaktan Thampuran Bus Stand. Buses also operate from Ernakulam,North Paravur, Kottayam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kodungallur and Trivandrum. Passenger trains operate from the station to Thrissur and Kochi, as well as an overnight express train to Trivandrum and further to Chennai. Cochin International Airport, the nearest airport, is some 80 km. from Guruvayur. if you are coming from calicut it will take approximately 2 hrs to reach guruvayoor by bus.Goruvayur has a single plat form railway station with a few daily services.
[edit] Demographics
As of the Indian census of 2001[4], Guruvayur had a population of 21,187. Males constitute 46% of the population and females 54%. Guruvayur has an average literacy rate of 85%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86%, and female literacy is 85%. In Guruvayoor, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Satellite image
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Guruvayur Devaswom
- ^ Guruvayoor Temple,Guruvayur temple,Guruvayur legend
- ^ Iskcon_Guruvayur
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
[edit] External links
- Guruvayoor.com Web abode of Guruvayoorappan
- [http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=10595104&x=76040432&z=16&l=0&m=a Satellite image of Guruvayur town
- Krishna Kripa
- Read Deatils about Sri Guruvayur Temple
 Entrance of Guruvayur temple |
 Entrance of Guruvayur temple |
 Shops in front of Guruvayur temple |
 Entrance to Guruvayur temple |
 Guruvayoor Temple |
 Guruvayoor town view |
 Elephant in Guruvayoor |
 A picture from Guruvayoor |
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