States Kerala Guruvayoor

Guruvayoor Travel Guide

Counted amongst the top pilgrimage destinations in Kerala, Guruvayoor is home to the fourth largest temple in India. It is believed that Shree Krishna knew that soon Dwarka would wash into seas, so in order to protect the idol of Lord Vishnu, he instructed Guru and Vayu to search a sacred place and relocate the idol of Lord Vishnu. And that's how the place came on the tourism map of India.

An Insight into Guruvayoor Tourism Kerala

Guruvayoor should be declared "the cultural capital of Kerala' as it enfolds the state's most beautiful and amazing temples in its vast expanse. Counted amongst the top tourism cities in Kerala, this thriving township of Thrissur district is rich in natural beauty and encloses some superbly built temples, that are extremely famous across the globe. The beauty and serenity of the heavenly temples here are hard to describe. A mere visit to Guruvayoor can complete your search for spirituality and give your vacation a meaning.

The main reason why one should visit Guruvayoor is to get glimpses of Kerala's rich cultural heritage. Guruvayoor is largely famous for Sree Krishna Temple, which is believed to be one of the 108 most divine Vishnu temples in the world. This magnificent temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna, who is the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This 16th-century old temple is widely visited by a large number of tourists, who take the blessings of Lord Krishna, whose idol is represented as a baby form of Krishna. As per the Hindu mythology, this is the same place where Deva Guru (Heavenly Saint) Brihaspati and Vayu Deva (Wind God) placed an idol of Lord Vishnu on the instruction of Lord Krishna, who used to worship this idol in his palace in Dwarka island.

It is believed that Shree Krishna knew that soon Dwarka would wash into seas, so in order to protect the idol of Lord Vishnu, he instructed Guru and Vayu to search a sacred place and relocate the idol of Lord Vishnu.

Some people also say that a Shiva temple existed at the same place where the idol was meant to be placed. On Guru's invocation, Lord Shiva decided to move his temple to another place, to install the divine idol of Lord Vishnu. Since then, the place become as Guruvayoor and people from different parts of the country started visiting this temple to seek the blessings of Shree Krishna. However, some people believes that your visit to Guruvayoor temple is incomplete if you don't visit the original Shiva temple, which was relocated to Mammiyur at the time when Lord Vishnu idol was placed in Guruvayur.

Guruvayoor is a small town but all thanks to Kerala Tourism it is well maintained, and easily accessible. It mainly consists of temples and natural beauty, however, if you have time, Thrissur is not very far from here and can be visited in just a few hours.

Top Things to Do & Places to See in Guruvayoor

If Cochin is the commercial hub of Kerala then Guruvayoor is its soul. One of the oldest cities in Kerala, Guruvayoor is primarily known for its shrines like Guruvayoor Temple, Nava Mukunda Temple, Harikanyaka Temple, and Guruvayurappan Temple. Once the travel hopping is done, then do visit Punnathur Kotta Elephant Sanctuary to catch glimpses of elephants getting trained to take part in temple processions.

Best Hotels & Resorts for Holidaying in Guruvayoor

Be it a homestay or small budget hotel, there's no dearth of accommodation options in Guruvayoor. Most of them are located close to the prominent travel places in Guruvayur and offer all kind of facilities and amenities one can ask for.

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