Guruvayur Ekadasi in

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

is the 11th day of Vrishchika. It falls in the Mandala season. The

Navami Navami is the Sanskrit word for "nine", and is the ninth day in the lunar fortnight (''Paksha'') of the Hindu calendar. Each month has two Navami days, being the ninth day of the "bright" (''Shukla'') and of the "dark" (''Krishna'') fortnights respe ...

(9th day) and Dasami (10th day) are also important. Vilakku Ekadasi starts a month before with offerings by individuals, families and organisations. The temple is open on this day for Nirmalya Darshan at 3 a.m.. It is closed at 9.00 am on

Dwadasi Dwadashi (also Dvādaśi, Dwadasi or Dhuvadasi) (Sanskrit for Twelve) is the twelfth lunar day (Tithi) of the ''shukla'' (bright) or ''krishna'' (dark) fortnight, or Paksha, of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar. Dwadashi is especially sui ...

(12th day)offerings of a token amount called Dwadasi Panam in

Koothambalam Koothambalam or Kuttampalam meaning temple theatre is a closed hall for staging ''Koothu'', ''Nangiar koothu'' and ''Koodiyattam'', the ancient ritualistic art forms of Kerala, India. Koothambalams are said to be constructed according to the guid ...

take place. On Guruvayur Ekadasi a memorial is held for

Gaja Gaja () is a Sanskrit word for elephant. It is one of the significant animals finding references in Hindu scriptures, as well as Buddhist and Jain texts. Symbolism In general, a gaja personifies a number of positive attributes, including abund ...

rajan

Guruvayoor Kesavan Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan (1912—2 December 1976) is perhaps the most famous and celebrated temple elephant in Kerala, India. Keshavan was donated to the Guruvayur temple by the royal family of Nilambur on 4 January 1922 . Standing over ...

and the

Chembai Sangeetholsavam Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival held in Guruvayur by the Guruvayur Devaswom (similar to the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru) in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, one of the titans of Carnatic classical mus ...

. The Karanavar or head of the elephant family places a wreath at the statue of Kesavan in front of Sreevalsam guest house while the other elephants stand around and pay obeisance. On Ekadasi, the Udayasthamana Pooja (dawn to dusk pooja) is conducted by the

Devaswom Devaswom ( sa, dēvasvaṁ; ) are socio-religious trusts in India, whose members are nominated by the government and community. They oversee Hinduism, Hindu temples and their assets to ensure their smooth operation in accordance with traditional r ...

. After the morning ''seeveli'', on Ekadasi an elephant procession to the Parthasarathi temple since it is regarded as Geethopadesam Day. On Ekadasi after the night pooja the famous Vilakku Ekadasi with elephant procession takes place and provides a finale to the festival.

References

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External links

Official site of Guruvayur devaswom

Postal Ekadasi Vilakku Official website
Hindu holy days Vrata Festivals in Thrissur district Hindu festivals in Kerala Guruvayur