Guruvayoor

Guruvayur (Guruvayoor) is a small town in Kerala,South India.Like most of Kerala it ia an agricultural area.It is a prominent pilgrimage center for the Hindus.

This temple (Guruvayur Temple) town lies 25 km to the north west of Thrissur City in Thrissur district. It derives its name from the centuries old Guruvayur temple which is one of the most important temples in Kerala. It is a famous pilgrimage and cultural centre and is the central focus of the town and the life of the people here.

The temple does not admit non Hindus.The famous Elephant Sanctuary (Punnathur kotta) is located near the temple. Kerala provides Ayurvedic rejuvenation treatment not only for humans but also for its elephants. Elephants have an annual holiday here while they get ready for the festival season when elephants are in great demand.This is where elephants are trained for temple purposes. More than 60 elephants are maintained here. All these elephants were offerings to the deity.