Sree Guruvayurappan Temple

Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Guruvayurappan , located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus of Kerala and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikunta, which translates to as Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth. The presiding deity of the Guruvayur Temple is Vishnu, worshipped in the form of his avatar Krishna. The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana Chakra, the mace Kaumodaki and a lotus with a Holy basil garland. This image represents the majestic form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of Krishna's birth; this is the reason why Lord is worshipped in his baby form. Also, the temple is called Dwarka of South India due to Krishna's widespread presence. He is currently worshipped according to routines laid down by Adi Shankara and later written formally in the Tantric way, the inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, by Cennas Narayanan Nambudiri . The Cennas Nambudiris are the hereditary tantris of the Guruvayur Temple.The temple routines are strictly followed. The Thanthri is available full-time at the Temple to ensure this. The Melsanthi enters the sanctum sanctorum in the morning and does not drink anything up to the completion of noon worships at 12:30 PM. The temple is managed by a special Devaswom under the control of the Government of Kerala.
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