The Mythological Origins of Guruvayur

The Mythological Origins of Guruvayur

The Guruvayur temple is one of the prominent and most revered Hindu temples of Kerala. The myths behind the origin of Guruvayur are related to the incarcination of lord Maha Vishnu.

The supreme deity of Guruvayur temple is lord Krishna worshipped in his childhood form symbolizes divinity and innocence. The myths are mainly focused on the idol of lord Krishna which is worshipped in Guruvayur.

There is a belief that the idol was worshipped by the lord Vishnu himself in Vaikunta. The lord Krishna is considered the 9th incarnation of lord Maha Vishnu.

The legend behind the idol is related to the guru and vayu. Lord Krishna was returned to Vaikunta after his earthly life and the place where he lived (Dwaraka) was submerged by the sea.

At this time lord Krishna instructed his devotee named Uddhava to take care of the sacred idol along with the help of the guru and vayu. As per his instruction, uddhava retrieved the sacred idol from the submerged area with the help of Guru Brihaspathi and the vayu.

The guru was searching for a perfect place to reinstall the idol of the lord Krishna. Thus he found the area where the lord shiva was situated.

As per the guru’s request lord shiva moved to another place named Mammiyoor and the sacred idol of lord Krishna was installed there.

The place got the name guruvayur from the three names guru, Vayu, and uddhava and it means the place of guru and vayu.