Guruvayoor Temple

Guruvayoor temple is one of the revered religious destinations of India. This temple dedicated to lord Vishnu is located at Thrissur in Kerala. There is a idol of lord Vishnu, which is exhibited having four arms. Lord Vishnu is also worshiped as lord Krishna. There are also idols of Lord Ganesha, Lord Ayyappa and Goddess Durga. Unlike the other temples of India, architecture of Guruvayoor temple is not very intimidating. It is a shining example of the typical Kerala architectural design with Koothambalam and Aanappanthal. The wall of main temple shrine are embellished with beautiful mural paintings which discuss the life of Lord Krishna. Most of the paintings here belong to 17th century. The roof and two doors of this temple are wrapped with gold.

This temple is believed to have been built by Guru(preceptor of gods) and Vayu(God of winds). It is to be noted that temple follows strict protocol and non Hindu are not allowed inside. This temple is popular as ' Dakshina Dwaraka”( Dwarka of south). In the entire state of Kerala this is the only temple which entertain major number of marriages and rice feeding ceremonies(first feeding of meal to infant). There is a pond, Rudratheertha, where usually devotes take dip before entering the main shrine. There are many rules and regulations which visitors need to take care before entering this temple. This temple was also hub of 'Guruvayoor Sathyagraha', a famous moment by the people of lower caste demanding right to enter temple.

Main Attractions
This temple attracts large number of Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Specially many marriages take place in this temple. Inside the temple, the square shaped Sri Kovil is the sacred sanctum of the temple and is also home to main deity. This is the most important attraction of this temple. The main entrance of the temple is from eastern side known as 'nada'.

Other than this holy temple, Guruvayoor is surrounded by some beautiful destinations. Pakshipathalam which is a idyllic resort situated at Brahmagiri hiil, is famous for housing different types of birds and animals. Kuruvadweep, a majestic island located on the bank of river Kabini river is another famous tourist attractions of Kerala. There are many more mesmerizing tourist attractions around this holy town which is worth visiting.