OUR STORY OF DEVOTION
A history five thousand years in the making and a new chapter now being written at Brahmakulam.
OUR STORY OF DEVOTION
A history five thousand years in the making and a new chapter now being written at Brahmakulam.
The Sacred Legacy Behind Sri Sri Radha Guruvayurappa Temple
Sri Sri Radha Guruvayurappa Temple does not stand apart from Guruvayur’s ancient legacy, it is the continuation of a story nearly 5,000 years in the making. To understand why this temple was built, and why Srimati Radharani now stands beside Guruvayurappan at Brahmakulam, one must first know the sacred history from which it grows.
The Idol Worshipped by Devaki and Vasudeva
According to the Sthala Purana; the sacred history passed down through generations of devotees the legacy that Sri Sri Radha Guruvayurappa Temple now carries forward traces back nearly 5,000 years, to the very idol once worshipped by Devaki Amma and Vasudeva, the mother and father of Lord Krishna.
This was no ordinary idol. It was given by Sriman Narayana Himself to Lord Brahma, and in time it came into the hands of Devaki and Vasudeva, who worshipped it faithfully throughout their lives. Though the deity is traditionally shown holding the Shankha (conch), Chakra (discus), Gada (mace), and Padma (lotus) of Lord Vishnu, its true essence carries the intimate bhava of Sri Krishna for this was the very form worshipped by His own parents.
The Submergence of Dwaraka
As Lord Krishna’s earthly pastimes drew to a close, He told His dear friend and minister, Uddhava, that Dwaraka His beloved city would soon be submerged beneath the rising sea. Before His disappearance, He gave Uddhava a sacred instruction: the idol worshipped by His mother and father must be consecrated in a suitable place, so that devotees could continue to worship it for generations to come.
When Dwaraka was submerged and the Lord disappeared from this world for the Lord neither takes birth nor dies, but appears and disappears from view like the rising and setting sun Uddhava, overcome with the pain of separation, carried the sacred idol and sought the guidance of his guru, Brihaspati (Guru), and Vayu Deva, the Wind God, entrusting them with the Lord’s final wish.
The Consecration at Rudra Theertham
Guided in their search, Brihaspati and Vayu Deva arrived at a vast lake known as Rudra Theertham the very place where, in ancient times, the Prachetases had performed austerities underwater for ten thousand years, singing the Rudra Geetham taught to them by Lord Shiva himself in praise of Guruvayurappan. It was here that the Prachetases were finally granted the Lord’s divine vision.
At this sacred spot, Brihaspati and Vayu Deva found Lord Shiva himself in meditation. Seeking his guidance on where to consecrate the idol, they were led to install it at the site that would become Guruvayur. Because the idol carried the sacred memory of Devaki and Vasudeva’s worship, this presiding deity has, from that day forward, embodied the loving mood of Sri Krishna the very mood that Sri Sri Radha Guruvayurappa Temple was built to celebrate and complete.
How Guruvayur Received Its Name
The name “Guruvayur” itself is a tribute to this sacred history formed from Guru (Brihaspati) and Vayu (the Wind God), the two celestial beings who carried out the Lord’s final wish. Guruvayur, then, means the sacred land (ooru) consecrated by Guru and Vayu a name that has carried the weight of that ancient devotion for five millennia, and the same devotional soil upon which Sri Sri Radha Guruvayurappa Temple now stands at nearby Brahmakulam.
