Guruvayoor - Hantha Bhagyam Jananam !!!

Guruvayoor, a town located in Trichur district, is quite famous in South India where Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Lord Krishna, aka Guruvayoorappan, the complete incarnation of Vishnu. It is believed that the idol of Lord Guruvayoorappan was worshipped by Vasudevar, father of Lord Krishna and later by Lord Krishna himself at Dwaraka. The idol is made of a stone called 'Patala Anjanam' or black bismuth and is in the standing pose with four arms, carrying the Shanku (Conch), the Chakra (Discus), the Gada (Mace) and the Padma (Lotus). Guruvayoor is also hailed as 'Bhooloka Vaikuntam' where the Lord reveals himself to his devotees in the same majestic form in which he welcomes them in Vaikunta, his divine abode.

The expression 'Hantha Bhagyam Jananaam!', comprising the last words of the opening hymn of a great work, Srimad Narayaneeyam, written by Melppathoor Narayana Bhattathiri, has become the watch-word of Guruvayoor, because devotees of Guruvayoorappan believe that Narayaneeyam, known as the 'Gospel of Guruvayoor', is very much identical with the legends as well as the Lord. They consider themselves extremely fortunate and blessed even to have been able to have a view of the Lord, who is the same as 'Parabrahma', the Supreme Consciousness. One can find the above words inscribed right at the entrance of the shrine.

Before the divine ascent (Swargarohan) of Lord Krishna, he had instructed Uddhava, his devotee and friend, that this idol would come floating when Dwaraka would be engulfed by the sea, after his departure. At his behest, Deva Guru (Brihaspati) along with Vayu (the Wind-god) looked for a suitable spot and they met Parasurama (an earlier avatara of Lord Vishnu) at Kerala, who led them to a beautiful lake full of lotus flowers. Lord Shiva was doing penance there and he told Brihaspati and Vayu to install the idol together at a spot near the lake and that the site should be known as 'Gurupavanapuram'. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi left for Mammiyoor, on the opposite bank of the lake. The present tank called Rudratheertha is only a miniature of the original lake. When devotees go round the Krishna temple, from a certain spot, they look in the direction of Mammiyoor and pray to Lord Shiva (Mammiyoorappan). Vishwakarma, the architect of the Gods, built the Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur. He built the temple in such a manner that Surya himself pays obeisance to Vishnu on Vishu day. On the day of Vishu, the first rays of the sun fall directly at the feet of Vishnu. 

This is the legend told by Dattatreya to King Janamejaya, son of Parikshit, as narrated in the Mahabharatha. King Parikshit died of cobra bite due to the curse of a sage. His son King Janamejaya performed a Yaga (Sarpasatram) in which thousands of innocent serpents were killed. As a result of their curse, he was afflicted with leprosy. On Dattatreya's advice, he went to Guruvayur and worshipped Guruvayurappa in the company of sage Atreya. He prayed with intense devotion for 41 days. He dreamt one night that the Lord's tender hands were fondling his body. Next day, when he woke up, he found not a single trace of leprosy on his body.

The main entrance to the temple is through the eastern side. There is also an entrance from western side. The idol is visible from the main entrance itself.

According to lores, long time ago, in the period 'Swayambhuva Manvantaram', Prajapathi Suthapas, along with his spouse Prisni, desirous of begetting a child, performed penance for 12000 years before the idol of Lord Vishnu, given to them by Lord Brahma. Immensely pleased by their devotion, the Lord Vishnu appeared before them and asked them to seek desired boon. Overwhelmed with the sight of Vishnu's divine form that appeared before them, the couple prayed thrice with considerable desire, "It would be good if a son equal to thee is born". The Lord then stated, "Only I am equal to Me. Therefore, I shall myself incarnate as your son, in order to fulfill your desire. Since you have repeated your prayer thrice, I shall be assuming the aspect of your son in your three births." After blessing the couple Lord Vishnu disappeared. Not long afterwards, the Lord himself manifested under the name 'Prisnigarbha', son of Prisni and Suthapas.

It is the same couple who were born as Prajapathi Kashyapa and Adithi Devi in the next birth. They also worshipped the same idol of the Lord as in their previous birth. Thereafter, Adithi, who was very sad at the plight of their sons, the Devas, being tormented by the Asuras, observed the austerity known as 'Payovritha' (a typical penance) and as a result of this the Lord manifested himself as their son, Lord Vamana.

Later, the same couple, in their third birth, was born as Vasudeva and Devaki in the city of Mathura. Sage Dhoumya presented them with the same idol of the Lord, which was worshipped by them in the earlier births. Devaki and Vasudeva worshipped that idol again with pure devotion. The Lord again manifested as their son, as Lord Krishna.

After the killing Kamsa, the Krishna installed and consecrated the idol at Dwaraka. That idol became the object of worship of all, including Lord Krishna. Later, at the time of the ascent of the Lord, at his own behest, the idol was recovered from the Sea and reinstalled at the present location at Guruvayoor by Guru (Bruhaspati or Jupiter) and Pavana (Wind-god) for helping those born in Kali yuga to reduce their difficulties. 'Hantha Bhagyam Jananaam!' hence means that 'Fortunate indeed are those born in Kali-yuga!'

Long ago, an astrologer told a Pandya King that he was destined to die from a cobra bite on a particular day. He was advised to go and pray at Guruvayoor. He spent years in meditation and prayer at the feet of Guruvayoor. Time passed by and one day the King realised that the time allotted for his death had passed. He came back to his palace and asked the astrologer as to how his prediction had gone wrong. The astrologer examined the body of the King and showed him the mark on his left foot where the cobra had bitten him. Since he was wholly absorbed in the Lord, who alone can dispense with fate, he didn't feel the sting. In gratitude, the King build the temple at Guruvayur and set apart funds for the daily routine of the temple. Most parts of the temple, as it is today, are of the 16th and 17th centuries. At later periods, extensions to the temple were made by rich devotees. The Deepasthamba (column of lights) was erected in 1836 by a devotee from Thiruvanathapuram. The temple has gopurams in the east and the west. The eastern gopuram has an inscription which refers to the town as Gurupavanapura. The western gopura was built in 1747.

There are several literary works extolling the glory of Guruvayoorappan. The 'Narayaneeyam' which is described as the 'Gospel of Guruvayur' is the greatest of all, creating a Guruvayur in the hearts of everyone who reads or listens to it. Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri, one of the foremost sanskrit poets and savants of Kerala had written it. Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri's guru was Achyuta Pisharadi who was his mentor and when Pisharadi was stricken with rheumatism, Bhattatiri took it over on himself by way of 'Guru dakshina'. His Guru was cured but no amount of treatment could cure Bhattatiri. He then went to Guruvayur, sat before the Lord and composed 1034 slokas in the praise of the Lord and recited them before the deity. The slokas are divided into 100 dasakas (sets of 10 verses). Every one of the 100 dasakas ends with a prayer to the Lord of Guruvayur to give him relief of his disease. It is said that the Lord personally accepted the poem by signifying his approval and also by giving him advice whenever the poet was at a loss for words.

For example, while dealing with the Lord's incarnation as Narasimha, the poet could not visualise his form. There upon the Lord himself sprang out of a pillar in the temple as Narasimha. The Lord himself enacted Krishna's dancing on 'Kaliya' and the 'Kaliya Marddanam' slokas in the Narayaneeyam are set to the same tempo as Sri Krishna's dance. According to Bhagavatham, Sri Krishna, as a child, had broken a pot with a grinding stone where as Battatiri wrote that it was with a churning stick. While he was grieving that he got it wrong, the Lord himself said from the sanctum that he had broken the pot both with the churning stick and the grinding stone.

Narayaneeyam contains the essence of Bhagavatam. Though its aim is the cure of ills of the present birth, it ultimate aim is salvation or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. In the last dasaka 'Agre pashyami' (Him I see before me), the poet has given an inspiring vision of Sri Krishna as 'Venugopala' that was given to him by the Lord. This was on an Ekadasi day.

Treasure of Legends 

1. Poonthanam Namboodiri was a humble ardent devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan. He wrote a Malayalam poem 'Gnanappana' in praise of the Lord. He was not erudite like Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri but his lyrics were noted for their simplicity and devotional fervor. He requested Bhattatiri to revise it. But Bhattatiri lacked humility and looked down upon a mere vernacular like malayalam and told Poonthanam that God would not listen to anything but Sanskrit. Poonthanam Namboodiri went home and wept bitterly before the Lord. That night a boy appeared at Bhattatiri's house as he was preparing to recite Narayaneeyam. Seating the boy at his side, he started to recite. The boy pointed out an error in the very first verse. The poet admitted it and proceeded with the next verse where the boy pointed 2 mistakes. In the 3rd verse he pointed 3 mistakes and so on. After the tenth verse Bhattatiri realised that the boy was the Lord himself. He now understood that Poondanam's bhakti (devotion) was more pleasing to the Lord than his Vibhakti (grammar). He rushed to Poonthanam and sought his forgiveness. When he read Gnanappana, he found that it was flawless. Similarly, when Poonthanam recited as 'Padmanabho Mara Prabhu', Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri teased him by saying that it has to be pronounced as 'Padmanabho Amara Prabhu'. At that time a sound was heard from the sanctum which said, "I am also the Lord of Trees, If I am not then who else is". Thus Lord Guruvayoorappa taught the lessons of humility to Bhattatiri.

Maraprabhu (Lord of Trees) is the biggest terracotta idol. It stands in the Guruvayoor Sreevalsom Devaswam compound, 45 meters away from the main idol Lord Guruvayoorappan. This sculpture of the Lord Krishna as Maraprabhu is 52 ft tall. Millions of devotees throng to this rare idol every year for mental peace and to get relief. Maraprabhu is the myth and the total embodiment of the Vishnu Sahasranama.

 

Maraprabhu idol is going to be renovated with an addition of Golden halo around it. This is made with medicinal recipes according to tantric concepts in traditional way under the supervision of Mangalappuzha Ramachandran.

2. Vilwamangalam Swamiyar and Kurooramma were great devotees of Guruvayoorappa. On the eastern side of the entrance to the temple from the North, there is a holy spot called 'Nritham'. The Swamiyar used to occupy this spot for his meditation and it is said that he used to dance in ectasy. Its believed that the Lord often gave him a personal view after the last ritual of the day. Vilwamangalam Swamiyar was a holy man and hence could see the Lord at wish.

The Lord was a child to the childless Kurooramma. She played with him and would even scold him when he went naughty. He helped her in all her household activities as a dutiful son would, for his mother.

3. There is a banyan tree seen a few metres away from the temple on the East entrance. A young Varasyar girl would make a garland everyday and offer it to the Lord at night. The Melshanti (Chief Priest) would adorn the idol with it. One day she was late and the Sri Kovil was closed. Manjula stood near the banyan tree crying and Poonthanam who passed by told her, "Guruvayurappan knows what's in your heart. So, keep the garland on the branch of the banyan tree and he will take it". The following morning, when the Melshanti began to remove yesterday's garlands, one garland stuck to the idol and would not come off. When Poonthanam saw this, he called out to the Lord saying, "That's Manjula's garland, let it also fall". The garland fell and the devotees were awestruck and started chanting with utmost devotion. From that day the banyan tree is called as 'Manjulal'.

4. Sengalipuram Anantharama Dikshitar, a well known scholar was cured of his leprosy by Lord Guruvayurappa.

5. Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, one of the greatest Carnatic musicians, lost his voice suddenly at the peak of a concert at Suchindram. Several doctors tried to cure him but to no avail. He went to Guruvayur and cried out to the Lord. He regained his voice and lived many more years to sing in many concerts.

6. A villager had planted a number of coconut saplings and had promised himself that he would offer the 'first coconut' from each of his coconut trees to Lord Guruvayurappan. When the trees started to yield coconuts, he collected the first coconut from all the trees in a sack and set forth to Guruvayur. On the way he was stopped by a robber and asked to part with the items in the sack. The villager told the robber that the coconuts in the sack belonged to Guruvayurappan and so he was unable to hand it over. The robber disdainfully asked the villager "Is the coconut of Guruvayoorappan any different; does it have horns"? When the robber pulled the sack forcefully out of the villagers hands, the coconuts spilled out. To their astonishment, each and every coconut in the sack had horns! Even today, the coconut with horns are displayed in the temple for devotees to see.

7. Once a Nenmini Namboodiri, who was the priest at the Guruvayur temple instructed his twelve year old son to offer the Nivedyam to the Lord. There was only one priest in those days and the Nenmini Namboodiri had to go out on an urgent engagament. The son, Unni, offered Nivedyam (cooked rice) to the Lord and thought in simplicity that the Lord will eat the rice, but the idol did not move. Unni went outside and brought some salted mangoes and curd from neighborhood in the belief that the Lord likes food this way. He mixed the curd with rice and offered it again. But the idol again remained stationary. He cajoled, requested, coaxed and in the end threatened, but the idol didn't move. He started crying at his failure and shouted at the Lord, exclaiming that his father would beat him. The Lord could not bear it any more, and suddenly the Nivedyam disappeared. The boy left the temple satisfied. The Nivedyam offered to the Lord was usually taken by the Variyar. On seeing the empty plate, he became angry with Unni, but Unni told Variyar that God had taken the rice along with curd and salted mangoes. The Unni's innocent words made Variyar furious. On father's arrival, Variyar complained that Unni himself had eaten the Nivedyam and that Unni was telling a false story. Though Unni told his version, his father didn't believe him and was about to beat him. But, just then a voice was heard from the sanctum which said, "I am guilty. Unni is innocent".

8. Prince Manavedan of Calicut was born in 1595 and had early education in Sanskrit. He wrote Purvabharatha Champu in 1643. He might have been familiar with Melpathur and Poonthanam during his time. Later he became the disciple of Vilwamangalam Swamiyar. With his devotion to Lord and guidance of Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, he saw Guruvayoorappa as Unnikannan, standing under the Elanji tree on his way from the Palace to the temple. The present Koothambalam is located at this spot. The Prince wrote a series of eight dramas for Krishnanattam. The Krishnanattam began to be staged in the temple regularly as an offering to the Lord.

9. Poonthanam used to walk about 100 Kms to take a view of Guruvayurappan every month. Once on his way, he was attacked by some robbers. Sensing the danger he closed his eyes and cried out for Lord's help. After some time there spread a sweet scent of Vanamala, the garland worn by Sree Krishna, and he opened his eyes to see Mangattachan (the Minister of the Zamorin) standing before him with his drawn sword drenched in blood and also the dead bodies of the robbers around him. Poonthanam took the ring off his finger and presented to Mangattachan.

The Melsanthi of the Guruvayur temple, the same night, heard in a dream, a Brahmin child telling him, "You will find a ring on the idol. Give it to Poonthanam who will come tomorrow". Quite miraculously, he saw a ring on the idol when he opened the Sreekovil on the next day. Shortly, Poonthanam came there and started his prayers. Melsanthi came out from Sreekovil and gave Poonthanam the ring and told him what had happened. Poonthanam was flabbergasted to see that the ring was his own, which he had presented to Mangattachan, the day before! It was Lord Guruvayurappan himself, who came to the rescue of Poonthanam as Mangattachan.

10.There is a fascinating legend about the origin of the rituals in this temple. On one Ekadesi day, Sri Adi Sankaracharya and sage Narada were travelling in space above the temple of Guruvayur. Narada told Acharya that he would be descending at Guruvayur. Acharya disdainfully told Narada that idol worship and chanting of the Lord's name repeatedly were meant for the ignorant and not for a scholarly person like him and continued his journey through space. But within a few time, he fell down from the sky and lay prostrated on the earth by the northern side of the temple, where the Lord's Sribali (Sheeveli) had reached. Sankaracharya realised his error and begged to the Lord for forgiveness. The Lord told him that temple worship, repetition of Lord's name and listening to religious discourses are all ways of expressing devotion and are dear to him. He then told Sri Sankaracharya to organize the daily rituals in the temple and are followed even to this day.

Rituals and Practices

Everyday, the temple opens at 3 AM and Guruvayoorappa is awakened from his sleep with melodious notes of 'Nadaswaram'. The Lord is seen adorned with flowers of the previous day. This is known as 'Nirmalya Darshanam'. 'Nirmalya Darshanam' at Guruvayur is considered sacred as it is believed that celestial beings come at night and worship the Lord soon after the closure of the sanctum.

Sheeveli aka Sribali is a ritual which is performed thrice every day. The festival idol of the Lord (a miniature idol in gold) is mounted on an elephant and taken around within the four outer walls of the temple, three times, accompanied by drums. There are 'Balikkals' representing the Lord's body-guards, subsidiary deities and members of his entourage in the inner and outer prakara. The idea of Sheeveli and the priest performing poojas at these places is that the Lord himself stands by as offerings are made to his dependents. Every night at the end of worship, the days account is read to the Lord aloud even today. Another ceremony is the 'Thulabharam', in which the devotees are weighed against plantains, sugar, jaggery, coconuts or other articles. These articles are gifted to the temple. Another important ceremony is 'Annaprasanam', first feeding ceremony of the child.

Festivals

The festival at Guruvayur is in the month of Kumbham (Feb-Mar) and the celebrations are spread over a period of 10 days. The festival starts with the hoisting of the temple flag on the golden flagpole. A special event during the festival is the elephant race. The Guruvayur Devaswom has about 45 elephants now, all donated by devotees. No description of the elephants in temple is complete without mentioning Padmanabhan and Kesavan. Padmanabhan was a very tall elephant and had a majestic bearing. He would allow no other elephant to carry the 'Thidambu'. There are many stories about his kindness, devotion and unswerving loyalty to the Lord. In appreciation of his services a golden chain was presented to him. A strange spectacle was seen in the Guruvayur temple in the year 1931, the day Padmanabhan died. The sandal paste with which the Lord was adorned split into two pieces and fell down. The two tusks and teeth of Padmanabhan are kept in Guruvayur.

Kesavan was donated by Raja of Nilambur and came to Guruvayur in 1922. He learnt from Padmanabhan the way he should conduct himself as a servant of the Lord. He was about 11 ft tall and would raise his front leg only when the Thidambu is to be mounted. All the rest holding the parasol had to mount from the rear side through the hind leg. It was the same for his mahout too. He was honoured with the title Gajaraja. In 1976, on Navami, he fell ill during the Sheeveli. On the Dasami night, he used the drinking water (kept for him) to bathe and to clean his body and stood looking at the direction of the deity whom he had served for a long time. On the day of Ekadeshi, it is believed that Lord Krishna showed his 'Viswaroopa' to Arjuna. Kesavan lay prostrate on the ground with his trunk stretched towards the Lord. It is believed that the Lord had given salvation to the Gajaraja, just before the opening of the sanctum. Guruvayur Devaswom has erected a life-size statue of Guruvayoor Kesavan in one of their rest houses.

The Guruvayur Ekadesi falls in the month of Vrischika (Nov-Dec). Once when Lord Vishnu visited the abode of Yama, he heard heart breaking cries of people tortured for their sins. The Lord wanted to save them from their sufferings and uttered the word Ekadesi. The very mention of the word removed all their sins. Observance of Ekadesi is believed to have a purifying effect. It is believed that the sins of a life time are washed away if one happens to see the Ekadesi Vilakku (festival of lights). Legend says that on Guruvayur Ekadesi, Lord Indra comes with Kamadhenu(sacred cow) and gives all material wealth and receives blessings from Lord Krishna. On that day all the theerthas like Kasi, Badri, Sabarigiri and Palani besides rivers like Ganga and Jamuna assemble at this sacred place.

A mishap at Guruvayoor

On November 30, 1970, a fiery blaze broke out in the temple complex. It began from the Western Chuttambalam and raged for five hours, burning everything in its path except the sanctified Sreekovil. The idol, shrines of Ganapathy, Sastha, Edatharikathu Bhagavathy and the flag staff remained miraculously untouched. People from all walks of life, irrespective of age, caste, creed and religion fought the fire. This shocking incidence of fire took place during the season of Ekadasivilakku. On this day Vilakku was celebrated on a grand scale and all the lamps in the Vilakkumatam were lit. After the Seeveli procession had concluded, the function came to an end and the gates of Gopuram were closed. Around 1.00 AM, somebody in the immediate neighborhood near the west chuttambalam saw a blaze from within the temple. Roused by the news, people rushed to the temple and joined in fighting the fire with water and sand. Later, the fire force units arrived and started fighting the fire. It was brought under control by 5.30 AM.

Seeing the uncontrollable fire , the authorities had already removed the valuables from the Sreekovil. The Ganapathy idol, Sastha idol and the main idol of Lord Guruvayurappan were shifted to the Koothambalam and then to a more safer place, the residence of the Tantri. The fire ravaged the whole of Chuttambalam, the entire Vilakkumadam on the west, south and north sides. The Chuttambalam was only 3 yards from the holy Sreekovil, however the fire did not even light a spark on the dry garlands of the Sreekovil.

After the fire, extensive renovation work was undertaken. Eminent astrologers of Kerala were requested to attend the meeting and decide what the Lord desired. Except for the widening of the gates at the North and East entrance, every other proposal put forth by the committee was approved by Lord Guruvayoorapan. The foundation stone for the renovation was laid by His Holiness Jagatguru Kanchi Kamakoti Jayendra Saraswathy Swami. The ten round pillars in the two Vathilmadams were magnificently carved. The eastern pillar on the southern Vathilmadam, at the foot of which Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri meditated and wrote Narayaneeyam was not removed. After the great fire, the Vilakkumadam, for the first time, was lighted on Vishu day,14th April, 1973.

Architectural details

The Sreekovil (Sanctum Sanctorum) is designed in 2 layers with copper sheet roofing plated with gold. Other than the Vishnu's idol made of 'Patalanjana', there are two more idols one of silver and the other of gold of which the silver idol is more older. These are used for the Sribali and other processions. Generally the gold idol is used and the silver idol which is more older is taken out only for Aarattu and on a few special occasions. There is a repletion of traditional mural paintings, which are quite amorous, on all the three sides, depicting tales from Puranas and Krishna leela.

The old doors of Sreekovil are replaced with a new set secured with gold plated bars and embellished with golden bells. There are 101 bells, all made of silver and plated with gold. Sopanam, the steps leading to the Sreekovil, are made of stone with carvings and designs of attractive craftsmanship. The sub-deities of the temple are Ganapathy, Sastha and Edatharikathu Bhagavathy. The name Edatharikathu Kavu has come on account of its proximity to the main deity. The popular belief is that the presiding deity is Vana Durga and with this belief no roof is provided for the Sreekovil. This shrine is said to be older than the main deity. This shrine is situated at the North-Eastern corner of the main temple, on the bank of Rudratheertha. Thalapoli is the important festival and usually unmarried girls alone will take the thalam. Two Thalapolies are celebrated here during the month of Dhanu. The last ten days of Mandala season are also considered to be very holy here.

 

At the southern side of the temple, outside the Nalambalam and just inside the pradakshina path is the shrine of Sastha. This is the only shrine outside the Nalambalam. The shrine of Edatharikathu Bhagavathy is considered to be in a separate compound with a small passage separating it with the main temple. The idol made of dark granite is about a meter in height. There is a huge granite stone in front of the shrine, placed in an inclined position, for breaking coconuts, considered very dear to Sastha. A small deepasthamba is there in front of the shrine.

The Chennas Namboodiris are the Tantris of the Guruvayur temple.

Historical events

Mamankam was a very famous event at Thirunavaya, on the bank of Bharathappuzha . The war between the Zamorins and the Raja of Valluvanad of Thirunavaya(Valluvakonathiri) in a way popularised Guruvayur temple. Due to the prolonged war people across the river bank started preferring Guruvayur. Even the Zamorin become a devotee and thus his subjects followed him completely . The central shrine which we see today is said to have been rebuilt in 1638 AD. Vishwabali was performed later to propitiate all the spirits, good and bad. By the end of 16th century Guruvayur had become most popular pilgrimage centre in Kerala. In 1716 AD, the Dutch raided Guruvayur. They looted treasures , gold of the flag staff, and set fire to the Western Gopuram. It was later rebuilt in 1747 AD. In 1755 AD ,the Dutch in war with the Zamorin destroyed Trikkunavaya temple and the Brahmins fled from there. Later the Zamorin become the trustee of both Guruvayur and Trikkunavaya, and also their sovereign protector. In 1766 AD , Hyder Ali of Mysore captured Calicut and then Guruvayur. He fined the temple and the fine was paid but due to insecurity, pilgrims receded and the supply of rice was stopped. The tenants also stopped annual dues. On the request of the Malabar Governor, Srinivasa Rao, Hyder Ali granted a free gift and the temple was saved from extinction.

Again in 1789 AD, Tippu Sultan invaded Zamorin's province. Apprehending the destruction, the main idol was hidden under the ground and the festival idol was taken to Ambalappuzha temple, by Mallisseri Namboodiri and Kakkad Othikkan. Tippu destroyed the smaller shrines and set fire to the temple, but was saved due to the timely rain. Tippu lost to the Zamorin and the English in 1792 AD. The idol hidden under the ground and the festival idol were reinstalled on September 17th, 1792. But the daily poojas and routines were seriously affected.

The Ullanad Panickers looked after the temple for 75 years (1825 to 1900). Like Chempakassery Namboodiri and Deshavarma Namboodiri, the Panickers offered everything from service to property. Thus with their help daily pooja and annual festival were once again restored.

From 1859 to 1892, Chuttambalam, Vilakkumatam, Koothambalam and Sastha shrine were renovated and roofed with copper sheeting. In 1900, Sri Konthi Menon , as a manager fixed the hours of worship and led the drive to keep the temple premises clean. He set up the big bell and reconstructed Pathayappura(Temple Granary). In 1928, the Zamorin once again become the administrator of Guruvayur.

In 1931-32 , Late Kelappan (known as 'Kerala Gandhi') led the Guruvayur Satyagraha to secure the entry of lower castes in temples. The lower castes were allowed to go only up to Thiyyarambalam, more than about half kilometer from the temple. He started a fast unto death in front of the Eastern Gopuram . He broke the fast at the insistence of Mahatma Gandhi. It did not produce any immediate result but led to the entry of Dalits in various Kerala temples.

MELPATHUR NARAYANA BHATTATHIRI 

In 1947, the Guruvayur temple was also opened for the entry of all Hindus. Later, Namaskara sadya (a typical feast), which was only for the Brahmins was scrapped and was opened to everyone irrespective of caste.

Guruvayoorappa is no distant elusive deity, but one who is accessible to all devotees, learned and unlearned. As the Lord said to Arjuna in the Gita, "I am responsible for the welfare of those who think of me to the exclusion of all else and who remain devoted to me all the time", Guruvayurappan comes to the rescue of his devotees in distress and manifests his grace in infinite ways.