Guruvayur temple

 To me Guruvayur temple and town is a childhood memory like for most malayalees I think .

Around five to seven years is the  youngest I can think of I remember staying there for more than a week .

My dad was insistent on that .

Those days it was literally empty just a famous temple mostly known to people from Malabar .

My grandfather hailed from Maankaavu kovilakam of Samoodhiris and temple belonged to them originally till the Dewasom stole it and are still looting it .

My mother used to tell during my Choroonu or ceremonial rice feeding at 6 months of age my grandfather had come along and we were taken in VIP style as they still had powers then .

Of course crowds too were much less .

One could just enter temple through front door and walk into sanctum when open pray and come back .

We stayed mostly  in Chatram of Dewasom once formed .

very few hotels were there then .

Chatram cottages were in the present Kowsthubam area .

The chatram restaurant I remember even had a thatched roof later tiled .

Food used to be brought into cottage swiggy style even than though mother used to cook in the small kitchen .

She carried vessels and provisions and a small stove .

By evening lamp was lit and me and my elder sister had to tell naamam or prayers just like in house .

Reaching Guruvayur too wasnt easy .

no trains were there .

One had to get down at Kuttipuram or Pattambi and take a bus to Guruvayur via chaavakaad .

Later Guruvayur was venue for so many weddings 

myself my nieces and so many friends and families 

With more than 100 weddings per day it at times was a comedy of errors .

Crowds had increased and one waited for 2 to 3 hours for darshan .

Finally we bought a small homely apartment to stay too .

My darshan as a local ( owning property ) takes just half hour at specified times .

I had today at 4.45 pm .

no mobiles are allowed no pants too only dhoti for men so I quickly returned took rest and around 9 pm went out to temple area 

I wanted to check out a food truck famous in insta on West nada .

thats my next post .