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There
is a fascinating legend about the origin of the rituals in this
temple. One Ekadesi day, Sri Adi Shankara and Narada were travelling
in space above the temple of Guruvayur. Narada told the Acharya
that he was descending at Guruvayur. Acharya disdainfully told Narada
that idol worship and chanting of the Lord's name repeatedly was
for the ignorant and not for a Gyani like him and continued his
journey in space. But within a few minutes, he had a fall and lay
prostrate on the earth by the northern side of the temple, where
the Lord's Sriveli had reached. The Acharya realised his error and
begged the Lord for forgiveness. The Lord told him that temple worship,
repetition of Lord's name and listening to religious discourses
were all ways of expressing devotion and were all dear to him. He
then asked Sri Shankara to organise the daily worship in the temple,
which he did. These rituals are followed even today.
Everyday, the temple opens at 3 a.m. and the Lord is awakened from
his sleep with the melodious notes of nadaswaram. The Lord is seen
adorned with flowers of the previous day. This is known as Nirmalya
Darshanam. It is believed that celestial beings come and worship
the Lord after the temple is closed.
Sriveli is a ritual which is performed thrice every day. The Utsava
Vigraha of the Lord (a miniature of the idol in gold) is mounted
on an elephant and taken around within the four outer walls of the
temple, three times, to the accompaniment of drums. There are beli
Kallus representing the Lord's body guards, subsidiary deities and
members of his entourage in the inner and outer prakara. The idea
of Sriveli and the priest performing poojas at these places is that
the Lord Himself standsby as offerings are made to his dependants.
Guruvayur is a temple state with the Lord as its Head. Every night
at the close of worship, the days account is read to the Lord even
today. Another ceremony is the Thulabharam, in which the devotees
are weighed against plantains/sugar/jaggery/coconuts or other articles.
These are gifted to the temple.
Another is Annaprasanam, first feeding ceremony of the child.
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