Heaven on Earth - The universe of Kerala's Guruvayur Temple : an attempted review

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Om Namo Narayanaya:

Dear GuruDevs,

The book is the outcome of 7 years of careful research by Pepita ji, a blessed devotee. As stated by her, the book is an offering to Sree Guruvayurappan.

 

She has left no stone unturned to fill the book with facts. The book contains exclusive detailed information obtained firsthand from the Ooralan, Thanthri, Zamorin family, Melshanthi's, Keezhshanthi's, Othikkan, musicians, astrologers and the families associated with the temple for years. Lalitha Menon has been her sounding board and translator.

The book gives a deep insight with separate chapters on each of the following:

-traditional way of the temple's day to day management (including those behind the scenes)

-temple architecture

-history

-Idol

-role of priests (the poojas performed by the Melshanthi behind the closed doors are explained in detail)

-offerings during daily poojas (what is offered, who brings it (some families hold hereditary rights to make certain daily offerings), who offers it and how it is offered)

-offerings during Seeveli (including names of Balikkals and the order in which they are worshipped)

-Udayashthama puja, Ekadashi, Utsavam and other important occasions in the temple year

-His devotees (both famous and anonymous)

-arts forms performed inside the temple -Krishnanattam and Kootiyattam

- His elephants

-Edathariyathukavil Bhagavathi's poojas and Thalappoli (She has been blessed by Edathariyathukavil Bhagavathi too. She says-

“Once while I was watching the oracle on the temple premises I was the only one blessed with a prasadham from him. Though some of the temple authorities frowned upon the fact that it was offered to a foreigner, many considered it as a blessing from the Devi herself.”

This incident turned the tables in her favour)

 

It is quite a heavy book, hard cover with 316 pages, 17 chapters, glossary and index. It took more than 7 hours to read it. Almost every other page enlightened me with some new information. There are footnotes to interconnect and elaborate important points in almost every page. The meticulous nature in which it is written makes one wonder whether this documentation is a textbook or PhD thesis.

 

Pepita ji is an accomplished photographer. All the 210 photos in the book are taken by her. She has captured them without using flash (she says: “it will disturb the object in focus”; “Always look beyond for the emotion, to be precise - the intangible”) and so they look very natural. There are photos of every ritual and occasion. Most of the photos cover the entire page and are life-size. When we look at them, we feel as if we are inside Guruvayur temple.

 

Can anybody miss the imposing photograph of Guruvayurappan's pet Kesavan kept above the door to the Nalambalam? It was the first photo taken by Pepita ji after coming to Kerala (in 1972), an auspicious beginning indeed. It is there in the book. She was given permission to continue with her work even when photography was banned inside the temple.

 

There are few old black and white photographs too.

The principal of Guruvayur Devasom's Mural Painting Institute K.U.Krishnakumar has contributed beautiful and meticulous plans of the temple.

There is a potrait of Guruvayurappan by master mural painter

Mammiyur Krishnankutty Nair.

 

Pepita ji has acknowledged the contribution of late Sree Puthiyedath Achutha Pisharody in sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of the temple. There is a beautiful painting of our Unnikannan as He appears after Kalabha Abhishekham by him. The book is dedicated to his memory.

 

Brahmasree Chittooor Narayanan Namboodiripad used to explain many concepts of the temple during weekly sessions with her. She has dedicated the book to him too.

 

Reading it was a blissful and enriching experience - it takes one to the universe of Guruvayur temple.

 

I feel that Guruvayurappan Himself inspired her to take up this project after reading the following lines from the preface -

[" A small voice began to whisper that this was it, that Guruvayur was no more than 40 minutes by bus from Thrissur where I live, and everything would be within the confines of the temple walls.

Yet I declined, deeply conscious of the difficulties that would face me if I acquiesced, and innocently unaware that the question had been serious.

I was shouted at, roundly: " Who are you to disagree when the

Lord has just suggested this to you?"

I know when to back down. I agreed.]

She says He is the reason she continued with the project (she had given it up thrice due to objections from various quarters) and He channeled all the support, encouragement and help through His devotees. As she rightly says, "I couldn’t have achieved it without Guruvayurappan’s blessings".

 

The book is a priceless gift from Guruvayurappan to all of us. It will keep enlightening generations to come. Happy Reading!

Do read her article which was published in Bhakthapriya-

guruvayur/message/127

Regards,

Krishnapriya

Om Namo Narayanaya: