Guruvayur temple is one of the most famous and popular ancient Hindu temples in Kerala. It is located at Guruvayur in the Thrissur district. The temple is mainly dedicated to the lord Krishna, known as Guruvayoorappan. In Guruvayur Temple, you can see the idol of Guruvayoorappan in the four-armed form of lord Vishnu. The temple is also known as the Dwaraka of the South, which attracts millions of devotees from different parts of the world.
The Guruvayur temple is considered one of the 108 abhimana kshetras in the Vyshnava tradition. The idol of the guruvayoorappan is unique and it is known as guruvayur Unnikrishnan (unni Kannan). It represents the image of lord Krishna in his childhood form standing with four arms. This form is also called chathurbhahu or Vishnu Maya.
There are many specialties you can find in Guruvayur temple. The idol is made up of a different kind of black stone called “Patala Anjanam” which has divine properties. Even the idol of deity Guruvayoorappan represents some importance. The four different hands of the guruvayoorappan carry different items such as “Shankha”, “Sudarshana chakra”, “Gada”, and “Padma”.
The “Conch” or “Shankha” is held in the upper left hand, which represents the sound of “OM”, it is believed to as the source of all creations. “Sudharshana Chakra” is carried on the upper right hand and it is thought to as the most powerful weapon used to protect the right in the universe. “Lotus”, also called “Padma” is held in the lower left hand and represents purity and divine wisdom. The “Mace” which is named the “Kaumodaki gada” held in the lower right hand represents the supreme power of the deity to destroy evil forces.
The Guruvayur temple has a significant role in Hindu mythology and its history is related to the ancient legends and the divine legends.
As per Hindu mythology, the idol of the lord Guruvayur Unnikrishnan was originally worshipped by the lord Vishnu in vaikunta and later it was passed to the lord “Brahma”. Further, the idol was given to the devout couple Sutapas (̌ “Prajapati Sutapa” ) and “Prsni” ( “Devaki” in one of her early births). Through their intense worship and devotion , the lord Vishnu granted them a boon. The lord Vishnu itself would be born as the son of these devout couples in three different lives. Later, sutapas and prsni were blessed with the prsnigarbha in the first birth and in the second birth the ” Sutapas ” and “Prsni” were born as kashyapa and ” Aditi “, parents of ” Vamana “.
They were born as “Vasudeva” and “Devaki”, parents of lord ” Krishna” in their third life. In all their life the lord ” Guruvayoorappan ” idol was worshipped by the parents with great devotion. ” Krishna ” was the last form of the lord ” Vishnu ” in earthly life, so when it came to an end the “Krishna” wanted the idol to be preserved and he instructed to one of his devotees named “Udhava” to preserve the idol in a safe location. The “Udhava” followed the instructions of the lord “Krishna” and he traveled to many places looking for the proper place to keep the the idol. With the help of the Guru (“Brihaspathy” who is considered the guru of gods) and the “Vayu” (the wind god), the “Udhava” reached a peaceful place where the lord “Shiva” and “Parvati” were worshipping. So to provide enough space for the idol the lord “Shiva” and “Parvati” graciously moved to the nearest place which is called “Mammiyoor”. Hence the place where the idol of lord “Krishna” was fixed later came to be known as the “Guruvayur”, which is a combination of guru and vayu.
Kururamma is known for her strong devotion to the lord “Krishna” and it is also intertwined with the history of the Guruvayur temple. “Kururamma” was a childless widow who adopted lord “Krishna”, Guruvayoorappan as her child. She was born in a village named Parur which was “Gauri” and she was the last woman of the “Kurur illam”.
Guruvayoor Keshavan was one of the most famous temple elephants in India. He was caught from the Nilambur forest and adopted by the Nilamboor royal family as their 12th elephant. Keshavan was the tallest elephant that lived in Kerala and he was about 3.28 metre tall. The king of the nilamboor royal family prayed to guruvayoorappan to save his familiesfrom enemies and he offered one of his elephant to the temple if his wish was fulfilled. As he promised the king given the elephant Keshava to the guruvayoor temple on 4 January 1922. Later the Guruvayoor Devaswam board gave him the title Gajarajan which means the king of elephants. Guruvayoor keshavan would bend his legs only in front of those who were carrying the lord Thidambu and all others had to climb through his hind legs. During the time of Guruvayur Ekadeshi in 1976, Keshavan became sick and he died after few days on 2nd December 1976. The Guruvayoor Devaswam board celebrates the anniversary of his death on the evening of every Ekadashi by lining up all the elephants in front of the statue of the Guruvayur Keshavan as a tribute to him.