* Nirmalyam Retreat *

The utsavam in 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 dwajasthamba. A special event during the utsavam 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 unserving loyalty to the Lord. In appreciation of his services a gold 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 Sriveli. On the Dasami night, he used the drinking water (kept for him) to bathe and to clean his body and stood looking longingly in the direction of the Deity whom he had served for a long time. The morning of Ekadesi day dawned. On the day Lord Krishna gave Vishwarupa Darshan to Arjuna, Kesavan lay prostrate on the ground with his trunk stretched towards the Lord. The Lord had given moksha to the Gajaraja, just before the Sri Koil opened. Guruvayur Devaswom has erected a life size statue of Kesavan in one their rest houses.

2. Ekadesi

The Guruvayur Ekadesi falls in the month of Vrischika (Nov-Dec). Once when Lord Maha Vishnu visited the abode of Yama, he heard heart rending cries of people tortured for their sins. The Lord wanted to save them from more suffering 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 Kamdhenu and gives all material wealth and offers worship to receive Sri Krishna's blessings. On that day all the theerthas like Kasi, Badri, Sabarigiri and Palani besides rivers like Ganga and Jamuna assemble in this sacred place.

3. Vishu

The Malayali New Year day, Vishu, falls on the 1st of Medam month (mid-April). As the belief goes, one’s fortunes for the year depends on the auspiciousness of the objects that one sees first at dawn on this day. Accordingly a kani (omen) consisting of konna flowers , raw rice, gold, betel leaves and nuts, yellow cucumber and coins, are so arranged in front of the family deity in the previous night itself, so that one sees them at first glimpse on waking up in the morning. Seeing the kani at Guruvayur is considered very auspicious and hence millions of devotees stay overnight, blindfold themselves and set their eyes on the Kani and the glorious deity as the doors are as usual opened for the dharshan at 3 a.m.

Janmaashtami, also known as "Srikrishna Jayantiis a the day, celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.

Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Bhadrapadha in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatram is ascendent. The Hindu calendar being luni-solar, these two events [the day being the eighth of the waning moon (Krishna-paksha Ashtami) and the Rohini Nakshatram being ascendent] may overlap for only a few hours. In such an event, the festival may be celebrated on different (but successive) days.