guruvayur jahanguru aur vayune ki shrikrishn vigrah ki saipna fyuchar point ke saujanya se dakshin bharat ka keral prant ek devbhumi hai. apni anuthi bhaugolik vidgoshtaon ke karan yah pradesh eshiya ka ek sarvadhik manoram paryatan sthal hai jahan duniya bhar ke sailani sair ke lie ate rahte hain. apni prakritik sanpdaon ke lie duniya bhar men mashhur keral mandiron ka prant bhi hai. prant ke vibhinn bhagon ke mandiron ki apni-apni kathaen hain, apna-apna adhyatmik mahatva hai aur apna-apna itihas hai. guruvayur ka mandir bhi ek aisa hi mandir hai, jiski apni ek vidgosh aitihasik aur adhyatmik pahchan hai. keral sthit mandiron men sabse jyada shraddhalu isi mandir ke darshan ko ate hain. vishesh parvon ke avasar par yahan shraddhaluon ki lanbi katar hoti hai. mandir men sthapit pratima ek bahumulya shila ko tarash kar banai gai hai. ati pavan yah pratima murtikla ka ek bejor namuna hai. mandir ke garbhagrih ki divaron par hridyakarshak bhittichitra utkirnit hain. kahte hain ki vaikunth men vishnu ne is murti ki puja ki aur fir ise brahma ko saunp diya. niahsantan raja sutapas aur unki patni ne santan hetu bhagvan brahma ki ghor tapasya ki.
donon ke tap se prasann hokar brahma ne yah murti unhen di aur iski puja niyamit rup se karne ko kaha. donon ki aradhna se prasann hokar bhagvan vishnu unke samaksh prakat hue aur unhen vardan diya ki vah svayan unke tin punarjanmon men unke putra ke rup men janm lenge. raja sutapas aur unki patni ko agle tin janmon men putra ki prapti hui jinka nam kramshah prishnigarbh, vaman aur krishn tha. bhagvan krishn ne is pratima ko dvarka men sthapit kar iski puja ki. kahte hain, ek bar dvarka men ek bhayankar barh ai, jismen yah murti bah chali, kintu guru ne apne param shishya vayu ki sahayta se ise bacha liya. fir donon ne iski sthapna ke upyukt sthan ki khoj men puri prithvi ki yatra ki aur ant men palakkad ke raste keral pahunche jahan unki bhent parshuram se hui, jo svayan usi murti ki khoj men dvarka ja rahe the. parshuram guru aur vayu ko kamal ke mohak fulon se bhari jhil ke pas ek ati hare-bhare sthan par le gae jahan unhen bhagvan shiv ke darshan hue. bhagvan shiv aur devi parvati ne unka svagat kiya aur kaha ki murti ki sthapna ka yahi sarvadhik upyukt sthal hai.
shiv ne guru aur vayu ko murti ki pratishtha aur abhishek karne ko kaha aur vardan diya ki murti ki sthapna guru aur vayu ke hathon hone ke karan yah sthan guruvayur ke nam se prasiddh hoga. fir shiv aur parvati mammiyur ke dusre kinare chale gae. srishti nirmata vishvakarma ne is mandir ka nirman is prakar kiya ki vishuv ke din surya ki pahli kirnen sidhi bhagvan ke charnon par paren. murti ki sthapna saur mas kunbh arthat falgun (farvri-marcha) men hui. katha yah bhi hai ki bhagvan krishn ke svargarohan ke samay unke bhakt uddhav unse virah ko lekar bahut dukhi hue. tab bhagvan ne unhen yah pratima di aur devguru brihaspati ko use kisi upyukt sthan par sthapit karne ka bhar saunpa. uddhav yah sochakar dukhon ke sagar men dube the ki kaliyug men jab bhagvan nahin honge, tab sansar par durbhagya cha jaega. bhagvan ne unhen shant kiya aur kaha ki vah svayan is pratima men pravisht honge aur apni sharan men ane vale shraddhaluon ko vardan dekar dukhon se ubarenge. isilie yahan darshan ko ae shraddhaluon ki kamna puri hoti hai. guruvayur ka yah mandir keral ke sarvadhik mahatvapurn pavan sthalon men se ek hai.
ise prithvi par bhagvan vishnu ka vaikunth aur dakshin ka dvarka bhi kaha jata hai. mandir men sthapit bhagvan shri krishn ki divya murti ati mohak hai, jinke tejomay char hathon men se ek men panchajanya, dusre men gada, tisre men chakra aur chauthe men padm hai. krishn ko yahan kannan, unnikannan (bal krishna), unnikrishnan, balkrishnan, guruvayurappan adi vibhinn namon se jana jata hai. mandir ke garbhagrih men bhagvan mahavishnu sthapit hain. unki puja adi shankracharya nirdeshit puja vidhi ke anusar ki jati hai. mandir men vaidik paranpra ka palan puri nishtha aur samarpan ke sath kiya jata hai. is divya sthal ke uttari parshva men kalakal karte tal men jal ke niche asan jamakar devon ke dev mahadev ne bhagvan mahavishnu ki aradhna ki thi. yah tal rudra tirtham ke nam se prasiddh hai. prachin kal men yah tal 3 kilomitar dur mammiyur aur tamryur tak faila hua tha aur apne manohari kamal fulon ke karan prasiddh tha. guruvayur men bhagvan ki puja ke bad mammiyur shiv ki puja aradhna avashyak hai. iske bina guruvayur ki puja aradhna adhuri mani jati hai.
narad puran men ullekh hai ki guruvayurappan ki sharan men akar kushthagrast janmejay is rog se mukt ho gae. pandvon ne apna raj parikshit ko saunp diya aur van chale gae aur apna shesh jivan vahin bitaya. parikshit ko ek sadhu ne shap diya tha ki unki mrityu nagraj takshak ke dasne se hogi aur aisa hi hua. isse kruddh hokar parikshit ke putra janmejay ne takshak sahit samast sarp jati ke nash ke lie yagya kiya. yagya ki agni men koti-koti nagon ki ahuti di gai, kintu takshak ke mare jane ke purva hi astik namak ek brahman ne yagya ko rok diya. koti-koti nagon ki bali dene ke karan janmejay ko kushth ho gaya jisse mukti ke sare prayason ke vifal ho jane ke karan vah nirash ho gae. tab atri ke putra muni atrey ne unhen guruvayur ke bhagvan krishn ki sharan men jane ko kaha. janmejay shighra hi prasthan kar gae aur guruvayur pahunchakar das mahine tak bhagvan ki aradhna ki. dasven mahine ki aradhna puri hone par vah puri tarah svasth hokar ghar laute. mandir ke thik samne 24 fut lanba ek vishal prakash stanbh hai, jismen besment samet terah chakra lage hain.
mandir ke bhitar pital ke char dipastanbh bhi hain. uttari bhag ke dipastanbh ko gajraj keshavan ne tor dala tha. purvi minar 33 fut aur pashchimi 27 fut unchi hai. bahri bhag men lagabhag 34 mitar uncha sone ka pani charha ek dhvajastanbh hai. yahan terah dipon ka ek 7 mitar uncha dipastanbh bhi hai, jiske prajvalit hone par ek adbhut manohari drishya upasthit ho jata hai. guruvayur ka yah pavitra mandir apne utsavon ke lie bhi prasiddh hai. mandir men 24 ekadshiyon men se ek shukla paksh ki vrishchik ekadshi ka apna vishesh mahatva hai. navmi aur dashmi ko bhi yahan utsav manaya jata hai. ekadshi vilakku ka utsav bhi apne ap men ek anutha utsav hota hai. guruvayur ka chenbaii sangit utsav dakshin bharat ka prasiddh utsav hai. desh bhar ke sangitagya is bhavya utsav men bhag lete hain, jahan darshakon ki apar bhir hoti hai. vadakkunnath mandir men manaya jane vala puram utsav bhi ek prasiddh utsav hai. is avasar par asman rat bhar patakhon se gunjayman rahta hai. shivratri ka parva bhi bari dhumdham se manaya jata hai. dardganiya sthal mandir se 40 kilo mitar dur ek purana kila hai, jiska nam punnatur kott hai.
yah hathiyon ka ek abhyaranya hai, jismen 40 se adhik hathi hain. yah duniya bhar men hathiyon ke vidgaalatam abhyaranyon men se ek hai. mandir se tin kilo mitar ki duri par ati suhavna samudra tat chavakkar hai. yahan maisur ke sultan haidar ali ke siphsalar haridros kutti ka makbra hai. chavakkar se ek kilo mitar dur palyur men sant thomas dvara sthapit ek prachin charch bhi hai. guruvayur men darshan ke ichchuk shraddhaluon ki bhir lagi rahti hai. darshan ke kuch khas niyam hain. kuch samay pahle tak mahila shraddhaluon ka churidar salvar pahanakar pravesh karna varjit tha, lekin nyayalay ke adesh se ab yah pratibandh hata diya gaya hai. fir bhi, adhikatar striyan sariyon men hi ati hain. keral ke trichur jile ke is chote se shahar ki sundrta dekhte hi banti hai. mandir men sthapit adhishthata bhagvan shri krishn ki jhalak matra se hi sare pap dhul jate hain. pavitra tulsi ki mala dharan kie bhagvan tejomay dikhai dete hain jinke darshan se ativ anand ki anubhuti hoti hai. dhyan rakhne yogya kuch vidgosh baten darshan hetu purvi ya pashchimi gopur se pravesh karna chahie. darshan se purva rudratirtham men snan kar lena chahie.
darshan ke samay nirdharit niyamon ka khas khayal rakhna chahie, kisi bhi niyam ka ullanghan nahin karen. kisi bhi sanshay ka nirakaran suraksha padadhikariyon aur paricharak se kara lena chahie. mandir men urdhva vastra (kamij adi), paint, payjama, lungi, chapdar dhoti, churidar salvar, chappal adi pahan kar pravesh nahin karen. mandir ke bahar in vastuon ko rakhne ki vishesh vyavastha hai. mandir ke andar mobail fon, kaimra, vidiyo kaimra, tep rikordar, rediyo adi le jana mana hai. vivah sanskar ke turat bad nav dampati ka nalanbalam men pravesh varjit hai. mandir ke andar thukna ya vaman karna varjit hai. aisa karne par punyah kar us sthan ko shuddh karna anivarya hai. islie bachchon ka nalanbalam men jyada der rukna mana hai.
shraddhaluon ki sahayta men tatpar mandir ke padadhikariyon ke sath sahyog karen. mandir ke andar uttar men bani khirkiyon par rashi jama kar prasad prapt karen. smaran rahe, devasvam ne is hetu kisi ejent ko bahal nahin kiya hai, atah kisi ke bahkave men n aen. kab jaen? kaise jaen? kahan thahren? aktubar se aprail ke bich ka samay guruvayur ki yatra ke lie sarvadhik upyukt samay hai. trichur guruvayur ka nikatasth relve steshan hai, jo yahan se matra 29 kilo mitar dur hai. trichur aur guruvayur ke bich basen tatha taiksiyan chalti hain. kochchi yahan ka nikatasth eyrport hai, jo yahan se 90 kilo mitar dur hai. yahan thahrne ke lie hotlon ki paryapt suvidha hai.