{"id":3069,"date":"2025-11-03T13:37:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T13:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cholantours.com\/blog\/?p=3069"},"modified":"2025-11-14T09:31:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T09:31:33","slug":"guruvayur-anayottam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cholantours.com\/blog\/guruvayur-anayottam\/","title":{"rendered":"Guruvayur Anayottam"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kerala<\/strong><\/a>, the ‘Land of Gods’<\/strong>\u00a0or to be more specific, the\u00a0‘God’s Own Country’,<\/strong> is an incredibly religious tourist destination, replete with lots and lots of temples that are as old as 2000 years and filled with legends and tales as well as extraordinary festivals and rituals.<\/p>\r\n

There is a well-known pilgrimage town in\u00a0Kerala<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>known as the ‘Dwarka of South India’<\/strong>, Guruvayur<\/strong>, a must-visit place at least once in a lifetime that fills you with spirituality and the feeling of divinity.<\/p>\r\n

The abode of\u00a0Lord Sree Guruvayoorappan<\/strong>, the world-renowned\u00a0Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple<\/strong><\/a>, makes Guruvayoor a sacred pilgrimage destination. The spectacular Guruvayoor Aanayottam, a jaw-dropping race of giant tuskers, is a unique traditional custom of Guruvayoor that heralds the beginning of the 10-day annual festival of Guruvayoor Temple.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Guruvayur Aanayottam:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The onset of the 10-day annual festival of\u00a0Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>in\u00a0Thrissur<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0district of\u00a0Kerala<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is marked by the eye-catching Aanayottam<\/strong>\u00a0or the elephant race. Popularly known as\u00a0Guruvayur Anayottam<\/strong>, this unique race is conducted to select the elephant on which the ‘Thidambu<\/strong>‘, the replica of the idol of\u00a0Lord Guruvayoorappan\u00a0<\/strong>is carried during the annual temple festival as well as on all special occasions for one year. This event is often observed between the months of February and March. \"\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The race which covers about half-a-kilometer distance starts from the premises of Manjulal<\/strong> at the eastern end of the\u00a0Guruvayur Temple<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>and ends at the eastern entrance of the Temple.<\/p>\r\n

The rituals of Aanayottam<\/strong> begins with the ancestral heir handing over the Kada bells to the temple Thanthri, below the flag post of the temple. The temple Thanthri, in turn, hands over the bells to the mahouts of the elephants that are participating in the race. Then, the mahouts adorn their elephant’s neck with the bells and the race starts when the conch shell is blown by the Marar.<\/p>\r\n

The elephant who completes seven rounds and crosses the eastern gate of the temple first will be declared as the winner. The winning elephant gets the privilege to carry the \u2018Thidambu<\/strong>\u2019 of Guruvayoorappan<\/strong> for all the special occasions of the temple that year and is treated royally. And the ten-day-long temple festival comes to an end with the Arattu ceremony.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Fascinating Legend of Guruvayoor Aanayottam:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Guruvayoor Temple\u00a0was once the sub-temple of\u00a0Thrikkana Mathilakam Temple\u00a0which was located in\u00a0Thrissur\u00a0and did not own any elephants.<\/p>\r\n

Usually, the festival at\u00a0Thrikkana Mathilakam Temple\u00a0<\/strong>used to end two days before the beginning of the\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0temple festival and the elephants will start their journey to\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0as soon as the festival at\u00a0Thrikkana Mathilakam Temple\u00a0is finished.\u00a0Once they refused to send their elephants to\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0as the\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0temple authorities failed to make the payment.<\/p>\r\n

It is believed that on that night, all the elephants broke the chains on which they have tied and started running towards\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0on their own accord. The clanging sound of chains was heard at\u00a0Manjula Althara<\/strong>\u00a0at around 3 Pm and the Zamorin and priests were all dumbfounded to see the running elephants that stopped near the Temple as if paying tribute to\u00a0Lord Guruvayoorappan.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

That was the first\u00a0Aanayottam\u00a0held at\u00a0Guruvayoor. To commemorate this unusual event,\u00a0Guruvayoor Aanayottam\u00a0is conducted every year even today. Later, in the year 1755, the\u00a0Thrikkana Mathilakam Temple\u00a0was destroyed by the Dutch and it was no longer a rival to\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0which prospered by the day and now has more than 50 elephants of its own, protected in the majestic\u00a0Punnathur Kotta.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Popular Tourist Attractions in Guruvayoor:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The quaint pilgrimage town of\u00a0Guruvayoor<\/strong>, not only have religious significance but also pay a role in attracting tourists every year. Considered as one of the oldest places in the country, the existence of\u00a0Guruvayoor<\/strong>\u00a0has a lot of historical values and is a perfect place for history buffs to explore. Some of the popular tourist attractions in\u00a0Guruvayoor\u00a0<\/strong>are:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n