Guruvayoor - Some points to keep in mind before you take your little one!!

The Krishna Temple in Kerala, Guruvayoor is known to be one of the most special and auspicious ones for all Hindus, This too is an ancient temple whose main deity is several thousand years old and has seen a lot of good and bad days,

The main deity of this temple is lord Krishna present in a child form and so this temple is very special for new parents as a lot of them pray and tonsure the heads of their baby here , many others offer the first solid food known as Annaprasanna/ Choorunnu in tamil and Malayalam.

The temple has been plundered by a host of invaders from the Dutch to the Tipu Sultan and the local devotees have done their best and protected the mula and the Utsava idols from being vandalized.

Located in the coast of Central Kerala, this temple town is quaint and beautiful on its own. The nearest railway station is in Guruvayoor itself and the town of Trissur has the nearest airport. This temple is located in a zone with high positive vibrations (All the ancient temples of this country are located in their specific locations for this very purpose) the high amount of positive vibrations and energies released out of this place does volumes in helping you in your life.

Coming to the rules and regulations for visiting this temple, like many temples in Kerala this too has its share of dos and dont's.

Keep your babies in Diapers: If you are traveling with an infant keep them in diapers for sure and even if you are going with a potty trained toddler you dont want to take any chances. They do not check or express this specifically but if your baby happens to pee or poop within the sanctum of the temple, you will have to sponsor the cleaning of the entire premises, not to mention the break in Darshan and your baby being the root cause of all of it would not make all those people waiting for several hours for a Darshan. I am not here to debate if this is right or wrong but this is something I have heard of repeatedly and been advised about, so thought of putting in a word here.

Cameras, Cell phones and big hand bags are not allowed: Your bags and things are thoroughly checked and mobile phones, Cameras, Tripods, big hand bags and tote bags as well as shopping bags are not allowed. There is a counter right outside the temple to deposit the same but the que takes forever to move and depositing or picking up the bags sometimes takes longer than darshan time. S o its better to leave these things the car if you have one or probably bag in your hotel itself.

The Paid Darshan ticket cost is Rs 1000: The price for the quick Darshan Que is Rs 1000 per ticket in this temple, yes it is that expensive and dont make the mistake of thinking that not many people would take it and this que would be relatively free, not there are a whole lot of people who are ready to pay this price, Since a major portion of the crowd come with babies they ensure that they can all have an easier Darshan. If your baby is sensitive to the crowd and can not wait in long ques, get two separate tickets so that you can take turns watching the baby as well as taking Darshan of the god.

Separate counters for tickets for Tula Baram: Another popular practice in this temple which is followed for babies and adults alike is the Tula Baram. As per this practice we contribute some things to god which are equal to our own body weight. It could be anything as simple as Flowers, fruits , etc or something as valuable as gold or silver.

Guruvayoor Aannakootam: Located about 5 to 10 mins drive away from the Guruvayoor temple, The aannakootam is a kind of Elephant Scantuary which you should not miss if you love any kind of wildlife. You can find atleast a dozen elephants here which are being trained in their natural habitat to serve the temple. Not many tourists are still aware of this place and so its relatively calm and empty.

Shop for some mural paintings or replicas: The mural paintings of Guruvayoor are exclusive to that place and are an amazing labour of love that needs to decorate your house, Depending on the grandeur of the painting the cost of the paintings go from 1000 to upwards, If you can not afford them, a host of replicas are available at various prices in the shops outside the temple, do not forget to check them out as they would still make for a lovely souvenir.