Guruvayur is a municipal temple town in Thrissur district, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located 27 kilometres (17 mi) from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at a distance of 292 km (181 mi) from the state capital Trivandrum towards the north-west, 80 km (50 mi) from Kochi towards the north, 90 km (56 mi) from Calicut towards south.
Guruvayurappan also often rendered Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala. He is the presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple, who is worshipped as Krishna in his child form, also known as Guruvayur Unnikkannan. Even though the deity is that of chaturbahu Vishnu, the sankalpam (concept) of the people is that the deity is the infant form of Krishna. The deity represents the purna rupa revealed by baby Krishna to his parents Vasudeva and Devaki immediately after his advent in Kamsa's jail. Hence, the deity represents both Krishna and Vishnu. The temple is located in the town of Guruvayur, Thrissur, Kerala, India, which is named after the deity itself.
The Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Guruvayurappan, a form of Vishnu, but popularly known as Krishna, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikuntha. The temple is Classified one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.
Elephants found in Kerala, the Indian elephants, are one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant. Since 1986, Asian elephants have been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 25,600 to 32,750 in the wild. The species is pre-eminently threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Along with a large population of wild elephants, Kerala has more than seven hundred captive elephants. Most of them are owned by temples and individuals. They are used for religious ceremonies in and around the temples, and some churches, and a few elephants work at timber yards.
Sree Poornathrayesa temple is a Hindu temple situated in Tripunithura, Kochi, the capital of the former Kingdom of Cochin, Kerala, India. The temple is considered among the greatest temples in Kerala and was the first among eight royal temples of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin. The presiding deity is Vishnu as Santhanagopala Murthy or Poornathrayeesa. He was the national deity of Cochin and protector guardian of Tripunithura. Poornathrayeesa is known for his love of elephants. Hence more than 40 elephants participate in his Vrishchikotsavam.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar was an Indian Carnatic music singer from Palakkad. Known by his village name Chembai, or simply as Bhagavatar, he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, into a Tamil Brahmin family in Perakkool Madom, adjacent to Lokanarkavu near Vatakara on Janmashtami day. He lived here until he was five years old. The family later shifted to Palakkad. Chembai was noted for his powerful voice and majestic style of singing. His first public performance was in 1904, when he was nine. A recipient of several titles and honours, he was known for his encouragement of upcoming musicians and ability to spot new talent. He was responsible for popularising compositions like Rakshamam Saranagatam and Pavana Guru, among others. The music critic 'Aeolus' described him as "the musician who has meant the most to Carnatic Music in the first fifty years of the 20th century." His prominent disciples include Chembai Narayana Bhagavathar, Mangu Thampuran, Guruvayur Ponnammal, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, V. V. Subramaniam, P. Leela, K. G. Jayan, K. G. Vijayan, K. J. Yesudas, Kudumaru Venkataraman and Babu Parameswaran, among others. He also mentored many young accompanists, including Palghat Mani Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, T. N. Krishnan, Palani Subramaniam Pillai and L. Subramaniam. Memorial music festivals have been held in his honour annually since his death in 1974, the most important being the annually celebrated Chembai Sangeetholsavam.
Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about 3 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District of Kerala State in South India.
Kuzhur is a small village in the southern end of Thrissur district of the Indian province of Kerala. The old Jewish settlement of Mala is the nearest town.
Chavakkad, formerly Chowghat, is a municipality in the Thrissur district of State of Kerala, India. Chavakkad is noted for its beach and fishing. It lies on National Highway 66 is located about 75 km (47 mi) north of the city of Kochi, 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Thrissur, and 24 km (15 mi) south of Ponnani.
Punarjani Guha is a 150-metre natural tunnel in a rocky cliff situated in Thiruvilwamala in Thrissur District of Kerala state in southern India. It is located around 2 km southeast of Vilwadrinatha Temple.
Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan is perhaps the most famous and celebrated temple elephant in Kerala, India. Keshavan was donated to the Guruvayur temple by the royal family of Nilambur on 4 January 1922.
Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival held in Guruvayur by the Guruvayur Devaswom in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, a Carnatic classical musician and a devotee of Guruvayurappan.
Manapullikavu is a Hindu temple located in Palakkad city, Kerala of India. The temple is most famous for the annual festival that takes place in the temple known as Manappullikavu Vela. Manapullikavu is also a major residential area in Palakkad city comprising apartments and residential colonies. Manappulikavu is ward 27 of Palakkad Municipality.
The Vilwadrinatha Temple is a Hindu temple in Thiruvilwamala, a town in the city of Thrissur, Kerala, India. The principal deities are Rama, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his brother, Lakshmana. This is one of the four major Rama temples in Kerala—the other three are in Thriprayar, Kadavallur, and Thiruvangad. The temple houses an idol of Lakshmana, which is rare in India.
Nalambalam is a set of four Hindu temples in Kerala. In Malayalam, Nalu means "four" and Ambalam means "temple". These are the temples for the Rama and his brothers of Ramayana. There are around five sets of Nalambalams in Kerala, the most famous among them being the four temples located in Thrissur and Ernakulam districts, namely Thriprayar Sree Rama Temple, Koodalmanikyam Bharatha Temple, Moozhikkulam Lakshmana Temple and Payyammal Shathrughna Temple.
The Sreevallabha Temple is a highly orthodox Hindu temple dedicated to Sreevallabha, a form of Vishnu. It is one of the oldest and largest Temples of Kerala, and has been a major destination for devotees in India for centuries. Located in Thiruvalla, it is well known for its architectural grandeur and unique customs, which are unique to the temple. There are stone-wooden carvings and mural paintings inside the temple. Being one among 108 Divya Desams, Sreevallabha temple has been glorified by Alvars and many other ancient works. It is considered to be the vallabha kshethram mentioned in Garuda Purana and Matsya Purana. Kathakali is played daily in the temple as an offering, pushing it to the top in India in terms of places where Kathakali is staged on the largest number of days per year. Vishnu appeared here as Sreevallabha for sage Durvasa and Khandakarnan. Pleased by the prayers of an old Brahmin lady Sreevallabha incarnated as a Brahmachari and killed the demon Thokalaasuran. Later the deity of Sreevallabha worshipped by Lakshmi and Krishna was installed in the temple in 59 BC. From then till date, the temple follows its worship protocol that is known to be followed nowhere else yet. Sage Durvasa and Saptarishiare said to reach the temple every midnight for worshipping the Lord. The temple governed one of the biggest educational institutions in ancient times and heavily contributed to the cultural and educational developments of Kerala
Sri Vasudevapuram Temple is one of three ancient temples (Maha-Kshetram) on the Southern bank of holy river Bharathapuzha. It sits east of the other two, Maha-Shiva Temple and Brahma temple. These temples along with the famous Thirunavaya Maha-Vishnu temple across the river form the trilogy in Sanatana Dharma). Tavanur is called Muvaankara (മൂവ്വാങ്കര). Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the presiding deities, so it was initially known as Muvalankara, and then Muvaankara. Vasudevapuram Tavanur is situated in the middle of a wooded area resembling that of Sabarimala.
Ettumanoor Mahadeva temple is an ancient Shiva temple in Kottayam, Kerala, India. Temple tradition has it that the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa had worshipped at this temple. The name of the place has its origin from the word manoor, which means "the land of deer." The temple is one of the major Shiva temples in Kerala, along with Vaikom Temple, Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Kaduthruthy Mahadeva Temple, Ernakulam Shiva Temple, Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple, Vadakkunathan temple and Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple, Thiruvananthapuram.
Peroor Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple situated near Ambalamukku in Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, 6 km from Thiruvananthapuram central Bus Stand and Railway Station. The temple is dedicated to Krishna and is administered by Travancore Devaswom Board. The town of Peroorkada's name came from the temple. The temple is also called Thekkan (southern) Guruvayoor.
Pattupurackal Bhagavathy Temple is an ancient Bhadrakali temple located in Njeezhoor village, Kottayam, Kerala. It is the only temple in Njeezhoor village where the presiding deity is present. Offering naranga vilakku and neivilakku every Tuesday and Friday is very significant to this temple. The nearest towns are Kuravilangad and Kaduthuruthy. It is about 6 km and 11 km away from the temple respectively. The last renovation activities were done on March 19, 2016, with the presence of Kshetra Thantri Brahma Sree Anil Dhivakaran Namboothiri. The temple is managed by NSS Karayaogam Number 336.
