Guruvayoor, known as Bhuloka Vaikuntham, is one of the busiest pilgrim locations in India. The Cowherd has covered the legend associated with this site in a separate blog here. This post aims to help you fine tune your itinerary while planning your visit to this holy place.
Places to visit in Guruvayoor
As Guruvayoor is situated in Thrissur disctirct, it would be a good idea to have a slight detour and cover the following temples as well that are located in Thrissur town.
Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu temples are the two main temples that conduct Thrissur Pooram, which is a world famous and one of Asia’s largest gatherings. Guruvayoor being just 30km away from Thrissur town makes it an quick and worthy detour for pilgrims.
Accommodation in Guruvayoor
The temple guest house does not have online booking facility yet. Piligrims will be well advised to check for available rooms in advance by visiting their official site here. Besides temple facilities, there are numerous private hotels as well.
Guruvayoor Temple Timings
The temple typically opens at 3 AM and closes around 10 PM. During the day, the temple will be closed in the afternoon between 1.30PM and 4.30PM. Apart from this the sanctum may be closed for darshan for multiple short spans of time for various rituals during the day. Please visit the official web page of Guruvayoor Devaswom to know the exact pooja timings.
Guruvayoor Temple Online Booking Facility for Darshan
Post pandemic, the temple is open for devotees. One needs to register at the Devaswom site with mobile number and ID proof. Darshan slots can be booked online and the print out of the confirmation slip together with ID proof need to be produced at the entrance of the temple during security checks.
Guruvayoor Ekadasi
Of all the 24 Ekadasis in a year, the Vrishchika Ekadasi (Suklapaksha) is the one celibrated as Guruvayoor Ekadasi. After the temple is open on this day for Nirmalya darshan (3.00AM), it is closed only at 9.00 am on Dwadasi Day (12th day), thus allowing continuous darshan for devotees throughout Dasami and Ekadasi Days. For the year 2021, Guruvayoor Ekadasi falls on Monday, 13th of December.
Here’s another article on the benefits of fasting on Ekadashi.
The Cowherd 