Guruvayur Temple Dress Code, Special Darshan & Information

Guruvayur is 95 KM by road from Kochi by National Highway 66. You can travel by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which operates several buses from Kochi to Guruvayur. Taxi charges from Kochi would be nearly Rs 2500.  The drive would take less than 3 hours normally. Guruvayur is well connected by road to Coimbatore (4 hours) and Calicut (3 hours).
Guruvayur is connected by rail and some local passenger trains are operating from Ernakulam Junction. An overnight express also connects Guruvayur from Chennai. However, for a long distance traveler, Thrissur ( 30 KM) railway station is preferable as it is connected by direct trains from from all major cities in India. Buses and Taxis ply  frequently between Thrissur and Guruvayur.
The nearest Airport is the Cochin International Airport at a distance of 87 KM ( 2 hours 30 minutes). Other Airport near Guruvayur is Calicut International Airport, Karipur. (100km).

Dress Code, Temple Customs and other Important Facts

Since Guruvayur temple adheres to very orthodox traditions and customs, it is important that you are aware of these matters concerning entering and conduct inside the temple.
     1.  Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple.
     2. Devotees are expected to enter the temple after taking a bath and wearing clean cloths.
     3. There is a strict Dress code for entering Guruvayur temple.
     4. Men are required to wear white or saffron Dhoti (Mundu). Except for this and lower underwear they are not allowed to wear anything.  However, they can cover their upper body with a white cloth called Veshti.  There is no ban on taking off your shirt and carrying it on your arms or shoulder!  Wearing Bermudas, pajamas, colorful lungis, pants, jeans and other such dresses are totally banned for men.  However children are allowed to wear shorts but without covering their upper body.
     5. The rules are relaxed these days for women.  They can wear sarees, mundu, blouses, long skirts and Shalwar suits. However, women are not allowed to wear pants, jeans, western cloths or short dresses.

  6.  Women devotees usually avoid entering the temple during their periods.
     7.  Take adequate precautions while taking small babies inside the temple so that urine or stool do not drip inside the temple.  This can lead to expensive cleaning rituals.
     8.. Mobiles and and remote car keys are not allowed inside the temple.  Except for small purses and lady’s handbags, no bags are allowed inside the temple.  These can be deposited at Cloak Rooms outside the temple. You cannot also wear any type of footwear inside the temple. Since you would be wearing a Dhoti, it would help you if you carry your wallet, money, cards, passport and valuable items in a Belt pouchor waist bag.
     9.  Unless you are a VIP, you may have to wait in a queue for an average of two hours to enter the inner sanctum of the temple.  However, benches are provided for you to sit while you are waiting for your turn.
    10.  Senior citizens and ladies are allowed inside temple in separate queues  between certain timings during normal days, which can be ascertained from the temple.  The queue for senior citizens and women are inside the outer enclosure.
     11.  Queues are meant for those who want to enter the inner sanctum of the temple. You can enter the outer enclosure of the temple through the Western entrance and also the entrance  near Bhagavathy temple.
Online Services of Guruvayur Devaswom
Guruvayur Dewaswom is offering online services including Darshan, Pooja, Prasadam and accommodation facilities. To avail this you have to register in Guruvayur Dewaswom website. Click here

Free mid-day meals (Annadanam) are given to the devotees every day. However you may have to stand in a long key to avail this

Special Darshan Facilities: You can avoid the  long queue to enter the inner sanctum by buying a ticket for Neyvilakku (Srikovil Ghee Lamp) offering for Rs. 1000. This will will help you to enter the sanctum directly.  Also, if you purchase a Neivilakku (Srikovil Ghee Lamp) offering ticket for Rs. 4500, you can directly enter the inner temple with another four people. After Neivilakku darshan please get the packet containing prasadam from a counter for this. Please buy the special darshan tickets from the Devaswam counters or official only. You can also get online through Guruvayur Dewaswom Web portal .

Where to stay in Guruvayur

Guruvayur Devaswam also offers accommodation ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 2300.  There are available at  Kaustubham Rest House (Tel 0487 2556537) Panchajanyam Rest house( Tel 0487 2556535) and Srivalsam Rest House(Tel 0487 2556539). However, no online booking facilities are available at these places.  You may have to send full room rent and reservation charges in advance by Demand Draft or Money order after confirmation of availability. Please refer to Guruvayur Dewaswam website for details.

Since there is heavy rush of pilgrims to the temple in all seasons, it would be better to plan your stay in Guruvayur in advance and book accordingly.

You can select from different types places to stay in Guruvayur . These include lodges, hotels, dhalamshalas and guesthouses of various organizations. There are a number of star hotels also at Guruvayur which offer reservations through various online travel portals. Guruvayur is very close to Thrissur city where you can find accommodations with the luxury you can afford.

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