Guruvayurappan

Though the main story about the idol starts with the story of Krishna, it is chronologically regarded to be older in regional tradition, since it is believed to have been constructed by Vishnu himself. The story is told in detail in the section 'Gurupavanapura Mahatmyam', from the Narada Purana. King Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna, and the son of Abhimanyu, died of a bite by the poisonous snake Takshaka, due to a curse which had fallen upon him. King Janamejaya, his son, wanted to avenge his father's death by killing all the snakes, including Takshaka. He conducted a vigorous yajna called the 'Sarpahuti Yajna' (Snake sacrifice). Thousands of innocent snakes died in the yajna fire, but Takshaka could not be killed because he had consumed amritam, the nectar of immortality. Due to this act, Janamejaya was affected by the curse of snakes, and was affected by leprosy. He tried to cure his disease, but none of them worked. He lost his hope to live. At that time, the sage Atreya (the son of sage Atri) came to visit him and told him to worship Vishnu in Guruvayur. He then also told the glory of the temple. It is as follows:

Long ago, in the beginning of Padma Kalpa,[lower-alpha 1] when Brahma was undergoing his work of creation, Vishnu appeared before him. When the creator deity[lower-alpha 2] said that he and his creations wanted mukti (liberation) without the bondage of karma, Vishnu made an idol of himself and presented it to his friend. Brahma worshipped the idol with deep obeisance for a long time, and in the Varaha Kalpa, he gifted it to a sage named Sutapas and his wife Prsni, who were meditating upon Vishnu for begetting a child. Sutapas and Prashni continued their prayer after getting the idol, and finally God appeared before them. When they expressed their wish, which was that they want a son just like God, he told them that would himself be born as their son in three successive births, and in all the three births, they could worship his idol made by himself.

In the first birth in the Satya Yuga, God took birth as Prsnigarbha, the son of Sutapas and Prsni. In this birth, he prophesied the importance of brahmacharya and offered darshana (a divine view of his form) to his devotee Dhruva, to whom he made a realm called Dhruvaloka. When Sutapas and Prsni were reborn as Kashyapa and Aditi, God took birth as their son Vamana in the Treta Yuga. Finally, when they were reborn as Vasudeva and Devaki, God was born as their eighth son, Krishna. In all the three births, they had the fortune to worship the holy idol of Vishnu made by God himself.

After coming back from his studies, Krishna took the idol worshipped by his parents to Dvaraka, his new abode. He built a temple for the idol here, and daily worshipped the idol with deep veneration, despite being an avatar of Vishnu himself. Finally, the Dvapara Yuga came to an end. Now, it was time for God to return to his original abode. Before leaving to Vaikuntha, he called his friend and disciple Uddhava and told him that Dvaraka would be affected by a deluge a week from then, and the lone non-natural survivor of the flood would be the divine idol worshipped by his parents in his three births. He also advised him to hand over the idol to Brihaspati, the Guru of the Devas who would come at that moment, and leave to Badrikashram for performing a penance for the rest of his life.

As God had prophesied, there was a huge deluge on the week that followed. Dvaraka, which was filled by beautiful palaces, gardens, and lush greenery, was completely destroyed in the deluge. Only the top of a huge mountain survived. Uddhava had already left to Badrikashram for performing his penance, and before leaving, he sent a message to Brihaspati, and informed him about the idol. By the time Brihaspati reached Dvaraka, everything had been wiped out. But soon, he saw the holy idol of Vishnu floating upon the seawater. Brihaspati was overjoyed, but he could not go near the idol due to the nature of the deluge, and since it was floating towards the other side. He called upon Vayu, the wind god and one among his important disciples. Vayu, with the help of Varuna, the sea god, created huge waves towards the point where Brihaspati was standing. Brihaspati took the idol in his hands, but he did not know where to install it. Suddenly, the sage Parashurama appeared, and told them to install the idol in an appropriate location in Bhargava Kshetra.[lower-alpha 3] the land he had created with his axe.

According to the wishes of the sage, Brihaspati and Vayu took the idol on their hands, and travelled by sky southwards through the sky to find an appropriate location in the Bhargava Kshetra. Suddenly, they saw a large, beautiful lake on the western side of Bhargava Kshetra, very close to the sea. Adjacent to it, there was lush greenery. Birds chirped all over. Animals were running happily. Breeze spread everywhere. Brihaspati and Vayu realised that there was something divine about this place. They saw Shiva and his consort Parvati dancing on the lake shore. Brihaspati and Vayu landed on the ground and prostrated before the divine couple. Shiva told them that he had been waiting for their arrival, and that the perfect spot for installing the idol of Vishnu was none other the place that they were standing.[lower-alpha 4] Shiva then declared that since the idol is to be installed by Brihaspati, the Guru and Vayu, the place would be called 'Guruvayur', and the devotees would find solace here from the troubles of the Kali Yuga.

After hearing this, Brihaspati called Vishvakarma, the divine architect, and told him to construct a temple for the deity. Vishvakarma constructed the temple within minutes, with all the necessary components. Brihaspati and Vayu installed the idol with all necessary rituals. Shiva performed the first pooja to the deity. Demigods, headed by Indra, showered flowers. The sage Narada sang a number of songs.[lower-alpha 5] Since the idol had been installed by Brihaspati and Vayu, the place came to be known as Guruvayur, and the deity came to be known as Guruvayurappan, meaning, the 'God of Guruvayur'. It is considered that Vishnu resides here with his full power as in Vaikuntha, and thus the place is called 'Bhuloka Vaikuntha'.

After hearing this story, Janamejaya proceeded to Guruvayur along with his family, and stayed there for a year. During these days, he worshipped God with much devotion, and also visited the Mammiyur temple to worship Shiva. Finally, on the day before the end of his worship, he had a darshana of Krishna, after which his disease was cured. He returned to his country, and lived happily thereafter.

Guruvayoor temple