Guruvayur Temple: Origin, History & Glory

 

This ancient temple is one which is dedicated to Lord Krishna in the unique form having 4 arms & is said to be how Vasudev & Devaki saw the Lord while being imprisoned by Kamsa. The Guruvayur temple known as the Dwarka of South is a beautiful temple & one of the most important temples in South India. The temple is so revered that it is also termed as Bhuloka Vaikunta which means the Holy abode of Lord Vishnu on earth.

The origin of the temple is quite difficult to pinpoint as most believe the temple to be over 5000 years old. The existence of the temple is related to the idol of Lord Vishnu which goes back further to the time when the Chandravanshi King Sutapa & Queen Preshni prayed to Lord Brahma for a child. The couple were ardent devotees & Lord Brahma gave this idol to them. The idol was presented to Lord Brahma by Lord Vishnu himself having four arms, one holding the Sudarshan Chakra, another having the holy conch Panchajanya, the lower hands holding the mace Kaumodaki & the holy Lotus. The couple prayed to the Lord daily & impressed by their devotion, Lord Vishnu appeared before them. King Sutapa & his queen are said to have prayed three times for a child & Lord Vishnu gave them a boon to be their child in their three births on earth. As per the boon, Lord Vishnu took his first birth as son of Sutapa & Preshni, in their next birth as Sage Kashyap & Godmother Aditi Lord Vishnu was born as Vamana to them & in their last birth as Vasudev & Devaki, Lord Vishnu was born as Krishna. The idol is said to have changed hands along these times & was finally placed in the palace at Dwaraka. The idol was passed on for generations & worshipped by the Chandravanshi as per Indian Mythology. The whole city of Dwaraka post the death of Krishna based on a curse is said to have been completely destroyed by ending at the seabed. During this incident the idol was salvaged from the sea by the Lokaguru Brihaspathi who along with the God of wind took the idol & placed it in its current place here. The place where the idol was consecrated is now known as Guruvayur & the place took the name from Guru & Vayu which relate to this legend. The idol is thus worshipped as Guruvayurappan, which means Lord Vishnu saved from the sea by Guru Brihaspathi & placed here by Vayudev. Another beautiful story associated with the glory of the idol is the legend that when Guru Brihasathi & Vayudev came to this place they found Lord Shiva in a penance, it is on his instruction of Lord Shiva that the idol was consecrated here. It is said that Lord Shiva is said to have moved away to where the Mamiyoor temple stands now which is unique as per Hindu beliefs.

The story of the idol is a legend & can’t be corroborated as no official document is available but the story of the temple finds mention in many scripts. The earliest structure of the temple is said to have been built by King Janamejaya. As per the myth after death of his father King Parikshit due to a snake bite, he went about to avenge the loss by conducting a sacrifice where thousands of serpents were burned in fire and as Thakshaka who was responsible for his father’s death was about to be killed, he was stopped by a Brahmin by the name Astika. The Gods unhappy with this brutal incident afflicted Janamejaya with leprosy. Sage Atreya is said to have told him to go to the place of Guruvayur & worship the idol of Lord Vishnu for his cure. He came to Guruvayur & worshipped the idol by asking forgiveness from the serpent King Anantha. His prayer was heard & cured of the deadly disease. The King is said to have built a small temple here to worship the idol & returned to his Kingdom. The temple during the time of the Perumal’s who ruled the land is said to have lost its glory due to the patronage of Shaivate shrines. The temple lost its importance & soon all prayed at Mammiyoor temple & it became an effluent temple while Guruvayur temple fell into poverty. One day a Brahmin came to the Mammiyoor temple & asked for food but the temple refused to provide, when the Brahmin entered the Guruvayur temple he is said to have been fed sumptuously. These gestures of the temple made the Brahmin bless the temple glory for all times, this legend does not find mention anywhere but it is believed that the Brahmin was Lord Shiva. The temple finds its reference in many Tamil literatures & its importance grew over the 16th century when people flocked to the temple.

The temple is also a place of beautiful architecture. Though the earlier temple was a simple structure built with thatched tiles and a small sanctum which housed the idol at its centre, over centuries many additions were made. The temple had to be reconstructed many times due to unruly events in history. The earliest renovation was made after the Dutch set fire to the gopuram in the early 18th century. The Mysore rulers are responsible for destroying it more, first it was Hyder Ali who is said to have asked a ransom to spare the temple & later by Tipu Sultan who wanted to burn the temple but rain is said to have saved the temple. Fearing his troop’s invasion again, the revered idol was taken from the temple & hidden in an underground temple. It was only placed in the temple again after the loss of Tipu in the Anglo – Mysore war. The temple was reconstructed in the 19th century by adding the beautiful Chuttambalam, Koothambalam which now is venue for folk performances, the most revered Vilakkumadam where devotees are asked to light lamps. The large bell outside the temple & the copper sheeting one sees on the roof were also added by the start of the 20th century. Most of these new additions to the temple were gutted in a huge fire that broke out at the temple in 1970 but the sanctum was untouched. The temple one sees today was rebuilt to its old glory with large pathways, walls & quarters. The temple pond called rudratheertham is where Lord Shiva is said to have sat for penance & is an important part of the temple complex.

The temple has also been a place where many great poets like Melpathur & Poonthanam Namboothiri found solace to meditate & write. The rituals of the temple are said to have been written and arranged by Sri Adi Sankaracharya. The temple has a unique ritual of Thulabharam which is where devotees pray to the Lord while seated on a weighing scale & donating anything from pulses to coconuts equal to their weight. Apart from many rituals that the temple has, one special scene at the temple is the presence of elephants. The temple reveres its elephants & the famous Punathur Kotha is the sanctuary which houses the largest population of male Asian elephants. Many elephants at the temple are also glorified to the status of the Lord themselves & the most loved pachyderm Guruvayur Kesavan is considered to be the epitome of an elephant’s beauty. The temple pujas are conducted by the hereditary family of Chenna Nambuthiris & they are said to hold a fast from morning till noon while performing the rituals.

Today the temple is a place which opens to all devotees and the Arattu festival is a big event along with the Vishu festival where devotees flock to the temple to get a glimpse of the beautiful idol of Lord Krishna on the auspicious day. The Guruvayur Ekadasi celebrated every year at the temple is a grand ceremony. The visit to the temple makes every person close to the Lord & his grace brings light to each person’s life who prays to Him.