Guruvayoor
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Guruvayoor is a town in Kerala, India.
Also known as Guruvayur, it is a temple town located at 10.30 North and 76.07 East. It is 25 km to the north west of Thrissur City in Thrissur district. It is famous for its Shri Krishna Swamy Temple which is many centuries old and one of the most important in Kerala. The temple is famous as a site for pilgrimage and also a Cultural centre as it is one of the centre-points along which Kerala literature and art-forms have been developed. There are other temples nearby. Another attraction is the famous Elephant Sanctuary near the temple where elephants are trained for temple purposes.
Buses ply every few minutes from Thrissur Shaktan Thampuran Bus Stand. Buses also operate from other places like Ernakulam, Kottayam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kottarakkara and also from Trivandrum. The railway operates passenger local trains to Thrissur and Cochin and also an overnight express train to Trivandrum and further to Chennai. It is 80 km away from Nedumbassery (Kochi International Airport).
Guruvayoor Temple
The Temple has a history dating back to the time of Shri Krishna. It is said that Lord Krishna when his kingdom was being submerged in the great flood or 'pralaya' asked Brihaspathi, the Guru of Devas and Vayu, the Wind-God to install the idol of Lord Vishnu that he was worshipping in a place. They (Guru and Vayu) came down to a place down south and installed it. This is why the place got its name Guruvayoor, where 'oor' means place. It is also said that Lord Shiva and His Wife Parvathy were present in this auspicious moment and because there was a lack of space in the tmple premises, He moved a little further away, and gives his blessings from Mammiyoor Temple, which is a ten minute walk from the Guruvayoor Temple. Every devotee who goes to Guruvayoor is supposed to go to Mammiyoor also, as the ritual goes. The idol in Guruvayoor is rumored to be as old as 5000 years. It is made of Pathalanjana Shila and is considered extremely sacred. Only Hindus are allowed inide the temple premises and foreigners are not allowed inside.
Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiripad has written Narayaneeyam and submitted before Guruvayoorappan to get out of his seveare chronic rheumatic disease during 1586 AD.
For more information about the temple, visit this Guruvayur (http://www.guruvayurdevaswom.com)