Parthasarathy Temple

Parthasarthy is the oldest temple Hindu Vaishnavite temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus of Kerala and often rendered as Houlka Vaikunda, which means Holy abode of Vishnu on Earth. The temple is in the form of Chariot with many horses and it is also believed that idol is believed to have been placed in this temple by Aid Shankaracharya.

Things to do

There are various places around the temple and one can enjoy the trip by visiting nearby temples. You can visit places like Punnathurkotta Elephant Palace where elephants are trained for various rituals in the Temples. You can visit to Devaswom Museum where you can find a collection of musical instruments, jewelry of renowned elephants also stores valuable offerings to the temple. Archaeological Survey of India preserves Harikanya Temple. This temple is believed to have been built by dynasties of the region.

History

This Temple is the oldest Hindu god with the main deity of Vishnu with four-armed and carrying Chakra, Lotus. The image represents the majestic form of Vishnu revealed to Krishna’s parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of the birth of Krishna. The Temple is also known as “Dwarka of South India” due to Krishna’s widespread presence and deity of Lord Krishna is also present in the temple.

Architecture

The Parthasarthy temple is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu as narrated by poets. The architecture is amazing and resembles the Kerala Temple Culture. Parthasarthy is another name of Krishna on account of his role as Arjuna’s Charioteer in the important Krishna temples in Kerala.

Festivals

The main festival of this temple is Janmashtami, Kumbham Utsavam and Ekadasi. During Ekadasi, processions are taken out in the morning which are accompanied by three caparisoned elephants and returns by noon. Similarly, soon after the Deeparadhan, a beautifully decorated chariot with the idol of Lord Krishna will be taken to the procession from Parthsarthy temple to guruvayur temple and return after completing one Parikrama of the temple.

Popular culture

Guruvayur is famous for various temples, and it is often been called the town of Temples. However famous temples like Guruvayur temple, Parthasarthy Temples are situated in Guruvayur, which is one of the most important pilgrimage towns of India. The temple is under the trusteeship of Guruvayur Devasom, a semi-constitutional body with the Government of Kerala. The Temple still follows strict dress code and non-Hindus are prohibited in the premises.

Best time to visit

The temple can be visited at any time of the year. But the Best time to visit Guruvayur is from October to February. Autumns and winters are the best seasons to enjoy a trip to Guruvayur. However, it may be a good idea to visit Sri Parthasarthy Temple, Guruvayur during the annual Guruvayur festival which typically happens in the month of February-March.

How to reach

The temple is well connected by air, road and rail. The nearest airport Cochin Airport is 80km away from the temple. You can also travel by train as the nearest Railway station is Guruvayur. However, Guruvayur is only 4 km from NH-66 and is well connected with important towns in South India. It is Just half km drive by car from Thrissur. State-run buses as KSRTC and passenger buses are plenty, which are connecting all the major cities in Kerala.

Nearby attraction

Guruvayur is vibrant with lots of tourist attractions to see in and around Parthasarthy Temple. Here famous place will be Punnathurkotta Elephant Palace, Mammiyoor Shiva Temple, Guruvayur temple, Gokulam Estates, Thiru Venkatachalpathy Temple, Chamundeswari Temple, harikanya Temple, Devaswom Museum. However Kerala is also famous for ancient martial art centers, and Guruvayur is the abode of such ancient martial art centers. Here different forms of martial arts are a delight to watch. Museum has a huge collection of antiques and temple materials.

So autumns and winters are the best time to visit these beautiful places in Kerala and enjoy the lifetime experience. Be sure to take your camera to take the picture for lifetime memories. So don’t wait and pack your bag and book ticket to Guruvayur and experience the Dwarka of South India and other beautiful places.