Spiritual Tourism Heavens on Earth
Spiritual Tourism - Heavens on Earth - Part V
Guruvayur - The Lourdes of India
Like the famous Lourdes, Guruvayur is known for its legends and
effectiveness. This is where the great poet Melpathur wrote a Treatise on the
Lord ( the Narayaneeyam ). Guruvayur was also adorned by the Poet Laureate,
Poontanam, who compose the Jnanapana, a great poem in Malayalam.
The great poet defined the Cosmic Man or the Lord
thus
That which is Timeless and Spaceless
That which is eternally Free
That which is the Aim of all sciences divine
That which is the Alpha and the Omega
That which is All in All,
To that Principle Divine, I bow !
The Condensed Absolut Being, Absolute Knowledge, Absolute Bliss is the Lord, who
sports in the garden of the Upanishads !
His
Destructive Form as Time Eternal, as the Zodiac, was defined by the poet
thus
With 12
wheels and 360 degrees
With
speed supernal, cruel ,
To
disseminate Karma to all,
Thy
True Form is Time !
Legend has it that Jupiter, Guru and
Saturn, Vayu chose this place to incarnate. The Seers predicted that this place
will become a Heaven on Earth, attracting pilgrims the world over. The great
philosopher, Sankara, worshipped the Lord at this temple. Most of the VIPs of
the world, the Indian PM, CMs etc have all graced this temple
The worlds's largest elephant sanctuary is here at Guruvayur, housing as many as
62 elephants. Most of these elephants were given as offerings to the Lord.
After describing the Indescribable,
the poets asked for the Lord's forgiveness. Defin ing Deity in terms of
humanity, is like defining the Center in terms of the Circumference !
In Ignorance I have defined Thee
Lord forgive, my body spake !
I defined the Indefinable
I spoke about the Ineffable
For that guilt O Lord,
Please forgive my frailties !
The poet appreciates the Form of the Lord, instead
of the Formless Absolute
It is in Thy Form
That Thee revealed to me
That Form is greater than all,
Even though Thy Form is Unmanifest !
The Birthday of the Lord
How can the Birthless and the Deathless, the Eternal
Principle, have a birthday? This philosophical problem is solved thus. In Bridal
Mysticism, where the Self is the Lover, Self is the Bride, a human form is given
to the Divine. This is anthropomorphisation. He is the Consort in the form of
the Ishta Devata or Tutelary Deity !
The Birthday of the Lord of Guruvayur falls on the
8th lunation ( Ashtami , on the asterism Rohini !
The Elephant Race
On the first day of the Festival, ( which was on 23rd
Kumbham ( Aquarius ) this year ) , 20 elephants took part in a race. The Ninth day is Pallivetta, when
the Lord goes hunting. The Tenth Day is Arattu, when the Lord takes bath in the
Temple pond, witnessed by millions !
Guruvayur is just 30 Kms away from Trichur, which is
just 50 kms from Kochin
Airport. You can get buses or trains to Guruvayur. Travel is jsut 40 minutes
from
Trichur.
Guruvayur figures amonst the top ten places for Religious Tourism, as far as
income
