Location: Guruvayur
Top Things to do in Guruvayur
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Top 10 Things to do in Guruvayur, India
Guruvayur (ഗുരുവായൂര്) also written as Guruvayoor, is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, the fourth largest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees visiting per day.
Restaurants in Guruvayur
1. Guruvayur Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 944 reviews
Reviewed By Sid V
The Gurvayur temple is the most important place to visit for Hindus visiting this city. It is ancient, very clean and well maintained and the Darshan process is very well organized to accommodate the huge crowds that are common place at this temple. Dress code for men is very strict, Mundu( South Indian Dhoti) with either bare top or Ang Vastra ( loose wrap) . Code for women is more relaxed, saree or Salwar Kameez. No jeans , pants, shorts , shirts etc for either gender. The wait for Darshan is long , 2 or more hours , but is well organized with Seating provided along with multiple ‘holding’ areas. The actual Darshan duration is extremely brief and it is difficult to get a good view of the Deity , because of the distance and the dark inner sanctum. Nevertless, it is an experience not to be missed.
Unlike the typical South Indian temples found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka or Andhra , which feature magnificent Gopuras , the architecture of this temple is very different . We encountered similar architecture in several other temples in Kerala.
If you plan to spend the night in Gurvayur while visiting the temple, I would highly recommend staying at the Gurvayur Gateway hotel nearby as we did.
2. Mammiyur Mahadeva Kshetram
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 228 reviews
Reviewed By skaypee - Bengaluru, India
Located in Mammiyur, about a kilometer from Guruvayurappan Temple, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu is worshipped here. To complete worshipping Guruvayoorappan, a visit to Mammiyur is must. Upadevadas include Lord Murugan, Bhagvathi and Nagar. Since it is less crowded and nearer to Guruvayurappan Temple, piligrims are requested to visit Mahadeva Kshetram too and obtain blessings.
Accommodation is provided by Devaswom at attractive rates.
3. Punnathur Kotta (Anakkotta)
Overall Ratings
4 based on 176 reviews
Reviewed By ivanand77 - Indore, India
This place is not so far from the famous Guruvayur Temple where elephants are taken care off and trained for various activities. One can enter the sanctuary on a visitor fee and photography is strictly prohibited. The elephants roam around freely inside the sanctuary which is a delightful sight. Overall a good place to visit/
4. Elephant Camp Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4 based on 207 reviews
Reviewed By pm84India - India
Elephants in chains is the opposite of what you would expect in a country that has a tradition of respecting and revering its elephants. Cameras aren't allowed, presumably so that you can't broadcast the cruelty one sees there. Elephants are social, migratory beings that live in herds ( family groups) with complex social bonds. To see them in captivity, with no understanding provided of their natural behaviour and instead just watching them parade in chains and do tricks to impress visitors is disturbing to say the least.
5. Parthasarathy Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 46 reviews
6. Venkitachalapathy Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By Gopalakrishnan H - Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), India
A temple in the name of Lord Venkitachalapthy. very few people who make it to Guruvayur temple visit this temple. This temple, mammiyoor temple and parthasarathy temple can be included in the itenary when you next visit Guruvayur. The Venkitachalapathy temple is only a walkable distance from thesecond platform of the railway station in Guruvayur.
7. Chowalloor Shiva Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 19 reviews
Reviewed By SivaramSi - Bengaluru, India
This temple is a bit away from the Guruvayur town and can be easily reached by an auto rickshaw...the temple is almost similar looking as Thrissur Vadakkunathan temple with beautiful and divine looking idols of Shiva and Parvati...must visit...plan for at least 2 days stay at Guruvayur so these additional temples can also be visited ...
8. Palayur Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By JojijosephTDPA - Kochi (Cochin), India
Palayur famous for the Christian St. Thomas Church which is believed to have founded by St. Thomas the Apostle in 52 AD was the first Christian Church in India. St. Thomas, the Apostle, arrived in 52 AD at Kodungallur for the propagation of Christ’s message and according to history he came by sea to Palayur and built the Church. Palayur also have many other significance from the first century like the ancient Jewish settlement known as the Jews' Hill and Palayur’s connectivity with other ancient trade centres of Kerala, especially Muziris, by rivers and backwaters. The three famous St.Thomas churches at Palayur, Kodungallur and Parur are connected together by the river and backwaters which opens out into the sea at Chettuwa, Kodungalloor and Kochi. Several visitors from Arabia, Rome, China and Portuguese came to the country in ancient times and landed in this coastal strip.
The initial Christian conversion in India is believed to have started in Kerala and later on people from the North embraced Christianity. Near the church compound we can see a small pond called "Thaliyakulam" where St Thomas in the beginning baptized his first Christian converts. The St. Thomas Church is a typical South Indian normal Church and the Church complex has a museum which opens by 08.00 AM and the museum has a good collection of religious historical pictures and relics displayed. From the museum we can go "Bottukulam", a small pond where St Thomas first arrived in Palayur and a small model of a boat is kept on the pond. .The damaged remains of the original cross was kept and a large prayer hall extension of the main church also can be seen adjacent to this.
9. Chamundeswari Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By rohitmaini1969 - Bhilai, India
wonderful scene and lovely experience. The temple is at a hill and having scenic beauty whole Mysore city can be viewed and the race course etc..The big bull was a good experience to see.
10. Nava Mukunda Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By KCAjith - Chennai (Madras), India
This main attraction to the place is for living Hindu family members doing the last rites for the beloved departed family members. After conducting the rites, the people visit the temple, hence the role of the temple is unique.
People do visit this temple even otherwise, but their numbers are very less.
The main deity is Krishna (Nava Mukunda) and there are sub deities within the temple itself. There is a dress code for men and women to enter the temple. There is a small Ayyappa shrine also just outside the main temple compound.
The temple provides free breakfast and lunch to all devotees to the temple at the temple dining hall. They accept donations towards this at the temple entrance. More people have breakfast than lunch since the people throng early in the morning for the final rites ceremonies and return by 11:00 AM.
In the evening there is hardly anybody in the temple excepting the local devotees and temple staff.
The Bharathapuzha flowing alongside the temple has a lot of history related to the Malabar region, Zamorin of Calicut, Mamankam etc.
There is a Brahma temple on the opposite shore of the river and a Shiva temple further north along the same river bank.
All these temples open early in the morning and close by about 11:00 AM in the morning.
The nearest railway station where Express trains stop is Kuttippuram. Passenger trains stop at Thirunavaya station also. The distance is about 10 Km from Kuttippuram to Thirunavaya.
Thirunavaya is a sleepy town that sees a lot of activity in the mornings, but goes silent by nightfall. There are not too many eateries in this place. One shabby vegetarian restaurant is located on the main road at the temple road junction.
The temple has a few rooms with very basic necessities that are rented out to devotees at a nominal cost. There is a dormitory type hall where devotees could get simple mats and pillows for resting.
