The Guruvayoor temple in Thrissur, Kerala, is very famous. The presiding deity here is Lord Guruvayoorappan, a form of Vishnu, who is worshipped mostly in Kerala. The temple attracts a lot of devotees as the deity is believed to have performed many miracles in people’s lives.
Devotees worship Vishnu as Balagopalan or Krishna in his child form. He is also called Guruvayur Unnikkannan, ‘Unni’ denoting ‘infant’. The deity here is four-armed Vishnu, but for devotees, he is the infant Krishna.
Legend of Guruvayoorappan
King Sutapa and his wife Prishni had no children, so they prayed to Brahma. With Vishnu’s consent, Brahma gave Sutapa an idol of Krishna that Vishnu had given him.
In response to their prayers, Vishnu appeared before Sutapa and the queen. They asked for a son like him. As they expressed their wish thrice, Vishnu told them that they would have three births, and he would be their child in each of the three births.
The first time, Vishnu was born as Prisnigarbha. In this form, he taught the importance of Brahmacharya (celibacy). The second time, he was born as Vamana to Kashyapa and Aditi, the incarnations of Sutapa and Prishni. The third time, they took birth as Vasudeva and Devaki, Krishna’s parents. According to the legend, Krishna got the idol from his father and worshipped it at Dwaraka, his capital.
The idol is almost 4 feet tall. It is made of a stone called “Patala Anjanam” or black bismuth. Krishna is in a standing pose with four arms, carrying the Panchajanya (shank or conch), the Sudarshana Chakra (chakra or disc), the Kaumodaki (gada or mace), and Padma (lotus).
Devotees believe that Guruvayoorappan represents the Purna Roopa (full manifestation) of four-armed Vishnu. The infant Krishna revealed this form to Devaki and Vasudeva immediately after his birth in Kamsa’s prison. Krishna’s parents worshipped this idol, which was later worshipped by Krishna himself. So devotees worship the infant Krishna as Vishnu.
History of Guruvayoor Temple
Guruvayoor temple is many centuries old. It takes its name from the town called Guruvayoor in Thrissur, Kerala, where it is located. It is the pride of the town and one of the most visited temples in India. Though non-Hindus cannot enter the temple, people of many faiths worship the deity.
“Guruvayoorappan” means “Lord of Guruvayoor.” “Guru” refers to “Brihaspati”, the Guru or preceptor of the gods. “Vayu” is the God of Wind, and “Appan” means ‘father’ or ‘lord’ in Malayalam. It was Guru and Vayu who installed Krishna’s deity, so the deity got the name Guruvayoorappan.
Before Krishna died, he told Uddhava, his devotee and minister, that his image would be seen floating in the sea, which would soon engulf all of Dwaraka. He told Uddhava to request Brihaspati to install the image at a good place. When all these events happened, Brihaspati and Vayu began to search for a holy place to install the idol.
The duo met Parasurama (an earlier avatar of Vishnu) in Kerala. He was bringing the idol to Dwaraka. Parasurama took them to a beautiful lake filled with lotus flowers. Lord Shiva, who was doing penance there, instructed Guru and Vayu to install the two idols together at a place near the lake. He also suggested that the site be called “Guruvayoopura”. Then Shiva and his consort, Parvati, left for Mammiyur on the lake’s opposite bank.
The present tank, called “Rudratirtha”, is a miniature of the original lake. When devotees circumambulate the Krishna temple, they face Mammiyur from a certain spot, and offer prayers to Shiva. The divine architect, Vishwakarma, built the Krishna temple at Guru’s and Vayu’s request. One can find this account in the Mahabharatha epic. Sage Dattatreya narrates this story to King Janamejaya, the son of King Parikshit.
Once, an astrologer told a Pandya King that he would die of a cobra bite on a certain day and advised him to worship Guruvayurappan. The king spent many years meditating and praying at the feet of the deity. One day, he realized that the day of his death had passed.
He returned to the palace and questioned the astrologer about the wrong prediction. The latter pointed to a mark on his left foot, which indicated a cobra’s bite. Since the king was in deep meditation, he did not feel the cobra’s bite.
The grateful king built the Guruvayoorappan temple and provided funds for the temple’s daily needs. The current structure mostly dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, although affluent devotees offered funds for extensions and additions later. A devotee from Thiruvananthapuram erected the temple’s Deepasthambham (column of lights) in 1836. There are Gopurams in the east and the west. An inscription on the eastern Gopuram refers to the town as “Gurupavanapura.” In 1747, the western gopura was built.
Guruvayoor is also called “Bhuloka Sri Vaikuntham,” meaning ‘Heaven on Earth.’ Mahavishnu is the presiding deity in the central shrine or Garbhagriha. Priests worship him according to the Pooja Vidhi provided by Adi Sankaracharya. Chennas Narayanan Namboodiri (born in 1427) later wrote down these rules in the Tantrasamuchaya. The Chennas Namboodiris are the hereditary Tantris (chief priests) of Guruvayoor temple.
Guruvayoorappan’s Miracles
Guruvayoorappan performed many miracles in his devotees’ lives. Here are some stories about such miracles.
Poonthanam and Bhattathiri
Poonthanam Namboodiri, a devotee of Guruvayurappan, wrote a poem, “Jnanappana,” praising him. He was not as knowledgeable as the poet Bhattathiri, so he asked Bhattathiri to revise it. But Bhattatiri snubbed him. Poonthanam felt very hurt. That night, a boy appeared before Bhattathiri as he prepared to recite Narayaneeyam. When he began to recite, the boy pointed out a mistake in the first verse. The poet admitted it and went on to the next verse, and this time, the boy pointed out two errors. This happened repeatedly, with the mistakes increasing with each succeeding verse. After the tenth verse, Bhattatiri realised who the boy really was. It was none other than Guruvayoorappan himself. He also understood that the deity was more pleased by Poonthanam’s devotion than his own erudition. Chastened, he met Poonthanam and asked for his forgiveness. On reading the “Jnanappana”, he found it to be flawless.
How Melpathur Bhattathiri Was Cured of Disease
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri was a great devotee of Guruvayoorappan. In 1586 AD, he composed the Narayaneeyam, which was a summary of the Bhagavata Purana. It had 1034 verses. Melpathur Bhattithiri’s Guru was Achyuta Pisharody. When his Guru fell ill, Melpathur Bhattithiri took the disease upon himself. He regarded it as part of his Guru Dakshina. As the disease was incurable, Ezhuthachan told him to seek relief by worshipping Guruvayoorappan. As he was a Sanskrit scholar, Bhattathiri composed a verse for the deity daily. Once he completed the final verse, he became free of disease.
Vilwamangalam and Kurur Amma
Vilwamangalam Swamiyar and Kurur Amma happened to be cousins. There is a sacred spot, Nritham, on the eastern side of the temple’s northern entrance. The Swamiyar would meditate here and dance in ecstasy. People believed that the deity gave him darshan in person every day after the last ritual was complete. He could see the deity whenever and in whatever form he wanted. As for the childless Kurur Amma, the deity was like a child to her. She would play with him and scold him when he was mischievous. He would also help her with household chores like a good son.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar Regains His Voice
Once, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, a renowned Carnatic singer, was singing at a concert in Suchindram. Suddenly, he lost his voice. Though several doctors tried, they could not cure him. Finally, he went to Guruvayur and wept before the deity. Miraculously, he regained his voice and was able to sing for many more years.
Guruvayur Temple Rituals
An interesting legend describes how the rituals in this temple originated. Adi Shankara and Narada were traveling in space above the temple on an Ekadasi day. The former failed to notice the temple while passing above it. Suddenly, the deity pulled him down through the roof, and he found himself before the deity. Adi Shankara was very happy to get the darshan of the deity and composed the Govindashtakam stotram instantly. He also established the principles for worshipping the deity at the latter’s request. Even now, the priests at the temple follow these principles.
Daily, the temple opens at 3 a.m. The melodious sound of the Nadaswaram awakens the deity from his sleep, who is adorned with flowers of the previous day. This ritual is Nirmalya Darshanam. The belief is that celestial beings come and worship the deity once the temple closes for the day.
The ritual of Seeveli takes place thrice every day. The deity’s Utsava Vigraha (a miniature of the deity in gold) is placed on an elephant and taken around three times within the temple’s four outer walls to the accompaniment of drums. There are Bali Kallus, which represent the deity’s bodyguards, subsidiary deities, and members of his entourage in both the inner and outer Prakaras. The idea behind Seeveli and the priest performing Poojas at these places is that the deity himself stands by when offerings are made to his dependents.
Guruvayur is a temple state, and Guruvayoorappan is its ruler. Every night, when the worship is over, the day’s account is read to the deity. Another famous ritual is the Thulabharam, in which devotees are weighed against things like sugar, plantains, coconuts, jaggery, etc. Later, they are gifted to the temple.
Many devotees also come here to perform Annaprasanam, the first feeding ceremony of their child.
The temple is a preferred destination for Malayali weddings. Such is the crowd on auspicious Muhurtham days that bridegrooms have been known to end up tying the thali on the wrong bride! The temple and its deity played central roles in a very popular Malayalam movie called ‘Nandanam.’
