Sree Krishna Temple, Guruvayoor, Kerala.
Syama Chandr Das
LEGENDS
One of the most
renowned and oldest temples in Kerala, the Sree Krishna Temple has an
interesting legend behind its origin.
According to legends
Lord Vishnu himself had worshipped the idol that we see now at Guruvayur,
before donating it to Brahma. Prajapati Sutapa and his wife Prsni prayed to
Brahma, and pleased at their devotion Brahma gave them this idol. Sutapa and
his wife Prsni worshipped the idol with such devotion that Mahavishnu Himself
appeared before them for granting a boon. In their over enthusiasm they asked
thrice "We need a son equivalent to thou" . Mahavishnu told them that
he himself would take birth as their son in three different janmas (births) and
in all those three janmas they would get the vigraha given to them by Brahma.
In the first janma in the Satya Yuga, Mahavishnu was born as
Prsnigarbha, as son of Sutapa and Prsni. Prsnigarbha instructed the world the
importance of Brahmacharya to the world.
In the second janma,
Sutapa and his wife Prsni were born as Kashyapa and Aditi and Mahavishnu was
born as Vamana.
In the Dwapara Yuga, Krishna was born to Vasudeva
and Devaki. This idol was given to them by Daumya for worship. Sri Krishna
established a big temple at Dwaraka and installed this idol there. At the time
of swargaarohana Krishna instructed his devotee Udhava to install the idol at a
sacred place with the help of Brihaspathi, the guru of the Devas and Vayu, the
God of the winds. They (Guru and Vayu) took the idol and came down to a place
down south and installed it. This is why the place got its name Guruvayu, where
ur means place. It is also said that Bhagavan Shiva and his consort Devi
Parvati were present at the auspicious moment and because there was a lack of
space in the temple premises, Shiva moved a little further away, and gives his
blessings from the nearby Mammiyoor Temple. Every devotee who goes to Guruvayur
is supposed to go to Mammiyoor also, as per tradition. Only Hindus are allowed
inside the temple premises. The temple pool is known as the Rudra Thirtham.
Sri Narada purana mentions Guruvayurpura mahatmyan
and describes how Janamejaya was cured of leprosy by taking refuge under the
feet of Guruvayuruppa. The Pandavas handed over the kingdom to their grandson
Parikshit, and left for the forest to spend their last days. Parikshit died of
the curse of a saint, who cursed that Parikshit will die of snake bite by
Taksaka, the king of serpents. After the death of Parikshit he was succeeded by
his son Janamejaya. Janamejaya conducted a sacrifice to destroy all the snakes
of the world including Takshaka, who was the cause of his father's death .
Hundreds of thousands of snakes fell into the sacrificial fire and were killed,
but the sacrifice was stopped by a Brahmin called Astika, before Takshaka was
killed.
Since Janamejaya was responsible for the death of
millions of snakes, he was afflicted with leprosy. He lost all hope of a cure.
One day Sage Atreya (son of Atri) came before Janamejaya and told him to take
refuge under the feet of Krishna at Guruvayoor. Atreya told that in the temple
at Guruvayyoor the effulgence of Sri Hari is at its best and Vishnu showers his
blessings on all devotees. Hearing this, Janamejaya wanted to know the full
details of the Sthala purana and the greatness of the temple.
The shrine, as it stands today, was constructed
during the 16th and 17th century A.D.
The elaborate rituals performed here are said to have been prescribed by Adi
Sankaracharya , the philosopher saint of Kerala.
NOTE:
Pastime of the lord with Adi Sankara.
Sankaracharya who is known for his Advaita Phylosophy was once travelling through the skies by his mystic abilities and happened to pass over Shri Guruvayoor Temple, when the divine procession of the Lord was happening. Adi Sankara being an Advaitin considered deities as mere idols and decided to proceed without paying any attention to the proceedings. Suddenly his mystic flight was obstructed and he fell down crashing through the tiled roof of a part of the temple. He immediately realized his mistake and did not hesitate to pay his obeisances to the Lord. He decided to stay in the temple for few days and engage in the worship of the Supreme Lord and attentively instructed the priests of the temple in the correct rituals from the scriptures to be offered to the Lord, which is believed to be followed as it is even today. Also the crack caused by his fall on the portion of temple roof is still known to be maintained in the remembrance of this sweet pastime of the Lord.
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE
For a very famous Temple, the Guruvayur temple does
not appear as imposing as many other famous temples in India. But the Temple is
a classic example of the typical Kerala architecture style with Koothambalam
and an Aanappanthal. The walls of the temple sport mural paintings that depict
episopdes from the Puranas.
The Sreekovil, where the idol of the Lord is
installed, is square in shape with pyramidal roofing. The walls of the
sreekovil abound with mural paintings. The door, as well as the roof, is
covered in gold. On either side of the door, two statues of 'dwarapalakas' are
seen. The idol is seen in the standing posture with four hands (Chaturbahu)
that carry the Sankhu (conch), the Sudarshana chakram (a serrated disk), the
lotus and the mace[3] . The Lord is worshipped in his many manifestations, the
favorite with devotees being the 'Sankalpa' of the Lord as 'Unnikrishnan'
(infant Krishna). The idol of the deity is believed to be made of a rare stone
known as Patala Anjanam.
In front of the sreekovil, is the Namaskara
Mandapam. It is a rectangular shaped structure with pyramidal roofing. The
sreekovil is surrounded by a wall structure called the Nallambalam or the
Chuttambalam. On the left side of the Sreekovil, a small temple well known as
the 'Manikkinar' is located. To the right of the Sreekovil, forming part of the
Chuttambalam, the temple kitchen known as 'Madappalli'is seen. The 'Saraswathi
Ara', where Saraswathi Pooja is conducted during Navaratri is close to this.
The shrine of Ganapathi is to the left of the Sreekovil. Outside the
Nallambalam and in front of the entrance the Kodimaram or Dhwajastambham
(Flagpole of the temple) can be seen. The balipeetams also are located here.
The Vilakkumatam, which is an intricate array of
metal lamps, is attached to the outside walls of the Nallambalam. On auspicious
occasions these lamps are lit thus illuminating the whole Temple.
The shrines or Sastha and Devi, the upadevathas,
can be seen on the southern side and the northern side respectively.
The whole area between the east gopuram and the
west side of the Nalambalam is covered with a tiled roof called Aanappandal or
Nadappura which provides shelter for elephants and for the pilgrims waiting for
worship and is decorated with pictures and paintings. Annaprasnam and
tulabharam are conducted here. To the south of the gopuram there is a very big
Temple Bell.
The Koothambalam, where Koothu is conducted, is
located at the south-east corner of the Temple while the Pattayappura or the
granary is situated on the south-western side.
The northern side of the building is called the
Agrasala or the dining hall. This is also used for daily Narayanajapam,
Bhagavata discourses and sometimes as the green-room for Krishnanattam.
The passage through the northern wall of the temple
leads to the temple pond called Rudratirtham. It is here that the processional
deity or the Utsava Vigraha is bathed on the last day of the Utsavam (the
annual festival).
LOCATION
The temple is located at about 30 kms from
Thrissur. The nearest railway station is at Guruvayur. However only one express
train is connected to this station. The nearest major railway station is at
Thrissur. The nearest airport (75 kms) is Kochi airport at Nedumbaserry.
Guruvayur is well connected from all major towns of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Various private and state government owned bus companies operate regular
serivices to this temple town.
DRESS CODE
Strict dress code exists for devotees who wish to
enter the temple. Men are to wear Mundu around their waist, without any dress
covering their chest. But it is allowed to cover the chest region with a small
piece of cloth (Veshthi). Boys are allowed to wear shorts, but they are also prohibited
from wearing a shirt. Girls and women are not supposed to wear any trouser like
dresses. Women are expected to wear Sari and young girls are to wear long skirt
and blouses. Presently the dress code for women have been relaxed with Salwar
Kameez/Churidars being allowed. However most women who are strong believers
still visit the temple wearing a Sari or traditional Kerala dresses. Like all
temples in India, footwear is strictly prohibited.
"Chant Hare Krishna and be happy"
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे || हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे||
