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Guruvayoor
 Guruvayoor,
also known as the Dwaraka of the
south, is a noted Pilgrim center in India,
attracting thousands of pilgrims from all
parts of the country. The idol of the famous
Sri Krishna Temple here is said to have been
worshipped by Lord Brahma himself at Dwaraka. The idol was duly installed at this
spot and lovingly called Guruvayoorappan, or
the Lord at Guruvayoor. The name of this
temple is linked with the Melpattur
Narayana Bhattathiri, the author
of Narayaneeyam, a Sanskrit work
comprising 1000 slokas (hymn couplets) of
inimitable beauty.
The temple opens at 3 PM for the 'Nirmalyadarshan'
to the melodious strains of the Nadaswaram
and the developed chanting of 'narayana,
narayana'. In this especially auspicious
'darshan', the Lord is adorned with
the flowers and garlands of the previous
day. The idol is then ritually bathed and
dressed to represent Balagopala or Krishna
as a child. The Important "Ucha
pooja" takes place at midday.
During the 'Deparadhana' the elaborately
bedecked idol glows in the warm light of the
temple lamps. The Temple closes at 10 PM
after daylong Poojas, rites and processions.
The deity is well known for its healing
power and several offerings are made to the
deity here. They range from the simple 'archana'
which is an offering of flowers, to the
expensive and elaborate 'Udayastamana' pooja. Another offering is the 'Thulabharam'
in which the devotee is weighed on huge
balancing scales against his choice of item,
such as bananas, sugar, jaggery or coconuts,
which is then donated to the temple. Several
marriages and the 'Annaprasanam' or
the first feeding ceremony of a child, are
conducted here.
Besides the famous Sri Kishna temple,
Guruvayoor also has other temples and
shrines, which attract crowds of pilgrims.
Lord Shiva's shrine at Mammiyur, just
half a kilometer away, is believed to be of
greater antiquity than the Sri Krishna
temple. The Parthasarathi temple,
close to the Sri Krishna temple, defines
Lord Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer. Half a
kilometer to the northeast of the
Parthasarathi temple is a shrine of Venkatachalapati
of Tirupati.
Punnathur Kotta, 4 kilometers, away is an
ancient fort, which houses 40 temple
elephants. Chaavkkad, 3 kilometers away has
a pleasant beach and a mausoleum of Haidrose Kuttee, lieutenant of Haider Ali of
Mysore. Palayur, 1 kilometer from Chavakkad is the
site of an ancient church believed to be
found by St. Thomas the apostle.
Getting there
The nearest airport is Cochin 108 kilometers
away. Bus connections are available with all
important towns of Kerala as well as
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Guruvayoor has a
railway station, which is linked to several
important towns.
Niranam Church
(Thiruvalla)
Established in 52 AD, the Niranam Church is
believed to be the oldest Christian church
built by the apostle, St. Thomas. The church
is situated 7 kilometers from Thiruvalla.
Saint Thomas
Memorial
(Kodungalloor)
Kodungalloor (Cranganore) formerly called
Muziris was the spot where the apostle St.
Thomas is believed to have landed in 52 AD.
The St. Thomas Church houses holy relics
from the olden days. This premier seaport of
the ancient times, on the west coast of
India, was also the capital of Cheraman Perumal, the King of
Kerala.
Maraman
Kozhancherry is the venue of the great
Christian religious convention called 'Maraman
Conventions'. It is held on the vast sand
bed of the river Pamba during February.
Christians from all over India participate
in this convention. Maraman convention is
said to be the biggest religious gathering
of Christians in Asia.
St. Francis Church
(Fort Kochi)
Originally named Santo Antonia, this is
India's oldest European church. Built in
1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, the
wooden church was restored in stone in 1779
by the Protestant Dutch and converted to an
Anglican church by the British in1795. It is
presently used by the Church of south India.
The famous explorer Vasco da Gama's remains
were buried here since 1524. The Cathedral
with pastel colored interiors has attractive
paintings.
Malayatoor
Church
53 kilometers from Cochin. situated on a
small hillock, it attracts thousands of
devotees who undertake a trip to the shrine
to participate in the annual festival,
Malayatoor Perunnal (March/April). St.
Thomas is believed to have prayed at this
shrine.
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