The following information is provided by the organizers of Ram Katha at Guruvayur, Kerala. There are no stay arrangements made by the organisers, shrotaas are requested to make their stay arrangements on their own. All the shrotaas are welcome for Bhajan (Katha) & Bhojan (food).
Katha Location
All the shrotaas are welcome for Bhajan (Katha) & Bhojan (food).
Date | Time
18th November - 26th November 2023
- 18th November 2023 - 4:00 PM onwards
- 19th November to 26th November 2023 - 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Travel
Getting to Guruvayur is easy as it is very connected, reaching Guruvayur for Katha is not a problem; trains and buses are readily available. Also, the nearest airport is barely 100 kilometers away.
- By Air:
The nearest airport is Kochi International Airport, which is 80 kilometers from Guruvayur and the Calicut airport is 100 kilometers away from here. One can easily avail direct taxi, cab, or a bus from these airports to reach Guruvayur Town.
- By Rail:
The nearest railway station is Guruvayur, towards the east of the temple and is connected to the Madras-Mangalore main line in Thrissur. Regular bus service and cabs are available from this station to reach your desired destination in Guruvayur Town.
- By Road:
To reach Guruvayur, one can take Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs buses from the nearby cities like Guruvayur are Madras, Madurai, Palani, Salem, Coimbatore, Thiruchendur, Mysore, Mangalore, Udupi, Mookambika etc.
Accommodation
- Limited number of General Dormitory accommodation will be available for approximately 400 shrotas only, which shall be provided on first come first serve basis. Since this is a festive season in Guruvayur, hence getting more accommodation is difficult.
- Rest of the shrotas shall have to make their stay arrangements on their own.
People looking for personal rooms/hotels, shall also have to book their stays on their own, please find the information below:
Our preferred travel agent for Car, Hotels & Flight/Train booking:
- Mrs. Bindu Vandan Katira
Tel: +91-9082990628
Email: bindu@holidayideas4u.com
- Hotel Renai Shree Krishna
Opp. Private Bus Stand, East NadaGuruvayoor , Trichur
680101, 0487- 2552333, 2552666, 9349556871.
- Hotel Bhasuri Inn,
Opposite Municipal Bus Stand, East Nada,
Guruvayoor, Thrissur, Kerala, India-
680101 +91 487 255 8888, +91 487 255 8855, +91 487 2550999
- Sree Gokulam Vanamala
Inner Ring Rd, East Nada, Guruvayur, Kerala
680101•0487 255 6702
- Hotel Vishnu Inn
Inner Ring Rd, near Merchant Association Office, East Nadu, Kuppaayil, Guruvayur, Kerala
680101•085890 03252
- Krishnavalsam Regency
Inner Ring Rd, North Nada, Guruvayur, Kerala
680101•079948 93111
- Hotel Harivaram Yuga
Melpathur Road Inner Circle, S Nada, Guruvayur, Kerala
680101
- Mayura Residency
West Nada, Guruvayur, Thrissur, Kerala
680101•0487 255 3608
Guruvayur & Temple Information
- The Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Guruvayurappan, a form of Krishna, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikuntha (Vaikuntha in the earthly realm).
- The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana, the mace Kaumodaki, and a lotus with a tulasi garland. This image represents the form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of his birth. Worship proceeds according to routines laid down by Adi Shankara and later written formally in the Tantric way, the inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, by Chennas Narayanan Nambudiri. The Chennas Nambudiris are the hereditary tantris (high priests) of the Guruvayur Temple.
- Dress Code for Temple:
- Strict dress code exists for people who wish to enter the Guruvayur Temple. Men are to wear mundu around their waist, without any dress covering their chest. But it is allowed to cover the chest region with a small piece of cloth (veshthi). Boys are allowed to wear shorts, but they are also prohibited from wearing a shirt. Girls and women are not allowed to wear any trouser like dresses or short skirts. Women are allowed to wear sari and girls are to wear long skirt and blouses. Presently the dress code for women have been relaxed with shalwar kameez (churidar pyjamas) being allowed.
- Temple Elephants:
- The Punnathur kotta, also known as the Anakotta (Elephant Yard in English), houses the 56 elephants belonging to the temple. This place is the home to the largest population of captive male Asian elephants in the world. These elephants are donated by devotees to the temple, and due to the preference of donating tusked male elephants, the ratio of male and female elephants living at the Anakotta is skewed. The elephants were initially kept at a compound close to the temple when the numbers were low. However, as more and more devotees donated elephants, the space became insufficient and hence they were moved to a larger property three kilometres away from the temple. Because of their association with the temple, devotees consider several of these elephants as living forms of Lord Guruvayurappa himself. Guruvayur Keshavan was the most famous among those. The other notable elephant was Guruvayur Padmanabhan, who was the chief of Guruvayur elephants.
Places of Interest
- The Guruvayoorappan Temple
- Mammiyoor Temple
- Chavakkad Beach
- Elephant Camp, Punnathoor Kotta
- Alleppey, Kerala – Backwaters, Beaches & Lagoons – Venice of East.
- Kozhikode, Kerala – A colonial City of trade and tourism.
General Information
- The climate in Guruvayur during November can be summarized as hot, humid and wet.
- November is in the fall / autumn in Guruvayur and is typically the 5th warmest month of the year. Daytime maximum temperatures average around a steamy 31°C, whilst at night 23°C is normal.
- On average November is the 6th driest month of the year in Guruvayur with around 156mm of rain making it a wet time to visit. This rainfall is typically spread over 6 days, although this may vary considerably.
- On the flip side this corresponds to an average of 6.9 hours of sunshine per day.
Contact
- General Inquiry – ramkathasamiti.guruvayur@gmail.com
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