Guruvayoor Darshan – my recent experience

         Visit to Guruvayoor temple is a very normal and regular thing for us, particularly after having settled back in Calicut, Kerala, from where it is a little less than three hour distance only.  I love to go whenever I get an opportunity.  Can’t say that we go there every month – but there are enough occasions – be it a marriage, birthday, Annaprasam, etc. etc. whether in Guruvayoor, Trichur or nearby areas or even in Cochin.  We make it a point to include Guruvayoor in our itinerary and have a darshan of Guruvayoorappan (Sree Krishna).  That’s how we planned the trip this time also.  The difference this time was that there was to be no Senior Citizen’s queue on Tuesday morning and we were not aware of it. But we were in for pleasant surprise.

           I am penning down this experience with some details thinking it may be of some use to some of our friends who are not regular visitors to Guruvayoor Temple – particularly Senior Citizens.   While most of us know of the Senior Citizens entry timings at Guruvayoor, which is  5 to 8 in the morning and 4.30 to 6 in the evening, many may not know such details.  If you reach in time to join this queue, you can avoid the long winding general queue which sometimes extends to over two kilometers, particularly during marriage seasons, Vaishakha month and Sabarimala seasons.  If you are having the Darshan in the morning, try to time it in such a manner that you are able to watch the Seeveli also from within the Senior Citizens queue enclosure. The Seeveli is a daily routine three times a day when Lord Guruvayoorappan is taken out and mounted on a well decorated and majestic elephant.  The Lord is accompanied by two or more decorated elephants, alongwith the beats of drums, nadaswaram, lamps, etc.for three pradakshinas.    I consider myself very lucky when I witness the morning Seeveli rounds since this is the time when we can have a very good darshan of Unnikkannan at close quarters, and for much longer durations. One feels safe and assured during that waiting time. Every time I feel as though Unnikkannan is sitting there atop the elephant and is looking at me and showering all his blessings on me and all those down below.  The last Seeveli of the day in the night around 9 PM, before the temple closes, is really the most beautiful and magnificent one, with the lamps lit all around the temple.

             This time we reached the hotel in Guruvayoor – – Gokulam Sabari in North Nada (an excellent hotel with reasonable tariff, clean, good service, fresh and tasty food, wifi facility, room service etc.) –  only by 5.30 PM on Monday, a little late for the Senior citizens darshan time.  Even then we got the darshan in almost half an hour’s time standing in the general queue, as there were only very few people waiting for darshan.   Since it was not a crowded day, we again went back to witness the Seeveli in the night.  Before Seeveli began, there was free Unniyappam distribution by a devotee and we enjoyed a few freshly made hot Unniyappams (Neyyappam)  also –  sweet and soft.

                 Ever since my retirement, on attaining the status of a senior citizen we are very much dependent on senior citizen darshan timing and things have become easy for us.  If we reach there on time, with this facility we are able to have a darshan at Guruvayoor in a very reasonable time.  Even then, every time I am anxious whether I will be able to get a good darshan, whether there will be a long queue and the time it would take, whether my sciatica pain will trouble me as I stand for long in the queue etc. etc.   But once you get darshan you forget these worries and you only feel a pure bliss.

              Now, imagine what will you do suddenly when you are told of the changes to these timings?   Your whole plan may get spoiled. What I want to tell you is precisely this – once in a while there may be some changes to these timings or even there won’t be a special entry for senior citizens on a certain day because of Shudhi kalasam and so on.

                 But little did we know that we are in for a surprise this time – surprising because, on the previous day, after the darshan and the Seeveli in the night, we had confirmed from a person on duty inside the temple that there would be the senior citizen darshan  from 5 to 8 in the morning.  We double checked only because we  remembered a newspaper report, of changes regarding senior citizen queues on some days every month.   Our plans for the next day was made accordingly and since I was very keen to witness the morning Seeveli which is at 7 am, we planned to reach the temple by about 630 am.   This way we can be inside the enclosure for the senior citizens’ line and have a very good view of the Seeveli from very near and thereafter once we are given entry we can also have the darshan inside.

                In the morning at around 6 30am, as we reached the East Nada, we saw that the general waiting enclosure hall was almost empty and everyone was just being ushered in.   So we thought of having a very quick darshan in the general line itself and thereafter wait inside the temple for the Seeveli.  But at that time the gate leading into the temple was closed and there were around 20 persons in front of us to enter.  We did not know whether to continue to stand in the enclosure or go out and get into the Senior citizen’s line.   While walking out from the queue the guard at the enclosure entrance informed us that there is no senior citizens queue today.  Then of course, we had no other way but to just wait for our turn. I should mention here that with the gentle breeze flowing and the 2 huge fans in the hall circulating the air, it was quite comfortable to wait there.  But all the while, I was feeling very bad that I will miss the Seeveli – but as luck would have it, the gates were open in a few minutes and we were allowed in and made to stand on the sidelines within an enclosure, from where one can witness the Seeveli which was just going to start, very nicely.  It was Lord Guruvayoorappan’s blessings that we were lucky enough to witness the Seeveli followed by entry to the Sanctum sanctorum.  That too, we had our entry through the northern entrance and not the usual eastern entrance where the senior citizens, general and local people’s queues merge.   We were told that this change is because of the “Shuddhi kalasam” for Lord Ayyappa for which the priest has to use the eastern entrance to go there time and again and hence the eastern nada was closed.  This was a revelation for us. But then this way we had a very easy and quick darshan, that too, for a longer time in front of the God.

              While standing in the queue waiting for the Seeveli, we came to know that they had curtailed the entry timing for senior citizens that day from 5 to 6 am because of the  Shuddhi kalasam” being performed for Lord Ayyappa.   There we saw many old persons, (senior citizens) – mostly from outside states, anxiously coming over to the point where the queue starts, hoping to get in and have a darshan of their favourite deity.  All were visibly disappointed on this change and had to go away. I am sure many may have had to change their programmes and even missed the darshan.

                 Here, I just want to point out that those who plan to visit the temple should keep in mind of such last minute changes happening and so ideally one should have ample time on their hands.  We were given to understand that these changes are finalized  only taking into consideration many aspects and conveniences of devotees. We were told that it is not possible to announce it well in advance.    We were also told that these shudhi poojas are not done on weekends, and mostly done on week days when the crowd expected is much less.   This time also, it happened to be on a very lean day and am sure that though may have got upset initially, many of those who missed the senior citizen entry would have easily managed through the general queue.

             With some time to spare, let me assure you – with Guruvayoorappan’s blessings, one will definitely get a good darshan with minimum inconveniences.

Let me admit here, my feeling whenever I visit Guruvayoor temple is aptly described in the Malayalam devotional song quoted below …………………….:

“Oru neram thozhuthu madangumbol thonnum Oruvattam koodi            thozhenamennu.

Oruvattam koodi thozhumbozhum thonnum Ithuvare thozhuthathu                   porennu ……………….”.

(Let me translate what this lyrics mean to those who do not understand Malayalam –  not the literal translation but only attempting to give an idea – “when you stand in front of the Lord with folded hands once, you feel like doing that one more time – when you do that one more time, you still feel that it  is not enough” )

 

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