News Excerpt:

India’s Prime Minister recently performed darshan and puja at Guruvayur Temple in Guruvayur, Kerala.

About the temple:

• Guruvayur Temple, also known as the Dwarka (birthplace of Lord Krishna) of the South, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
• The temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the young form of Lord Krishna, is also known as Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple. 
• It is said that Krishna set his charioteer, Udhava, to save Vishnu's idol from being worshipped by him in Dwaraka.
• Udhava sought the help of Lord Vayu (Lord of Winds), took the statue away from Kerala and installed it at Guruvayur. Since then, the place is known as ‘Guru-Vayu-ur’.
• The statue of Lord Vishnu installed here has four arms. 
• One has the conch Panchajanya, 
• The second one has Sudarshana Chakra, 
• The third one has the mace Kaumodaki, 
• The fourth one is holding a lotus with a Holy basil garland.
• The temple is also known for its elephant festival. 
• Devotees from all over the world gather here to witness magnificently dressed elephants. 
• These elephants are then paraded for various performances.
• The temple is also noted for being home to a large population of captive male Asian elephants.
• The Punnathur Kotta elephant sanctuary, where 56 elephants live, is very close to the temple. 
• In the early 1930s, the temple wasn’t open to devotees of lower castes. 
• Even the streets around the temple were revered as sacred and people from some castes were not allowed anywhere near.
• It was after Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement and after the Independence that the lower caste Hindus were allowed entry here.

Guruvayur Temple Entry Satyagraha:

• The Guruvayur Temple Entry Satyagraha was launched by the Indian National Congress in the Thrissur district of Kerala in 1931, in an effort to promote social reforms and eliminate social discrimination and untouchability. 
• K. Kelappan’s historic twelve-day fast was crucial in this struggle and showed his great commitment to the cause. 
• The Kerala Provincial Congress Committee, in a special session in September 1931 had resolved to commence the Temple Entry Movement from the Guruvayur temple, with the support of all prominent national leaders. 
• The Satyagraha was undertaken by batches of upper caste and harijan volunteers, who attempted to enter the temple while performing sankirtana. 
• However, the temple authorities, in collusion with the colonial police forces, refused to give them entry to the temple complex. 
• The impasse continued for almost a year. On 18th September 1932, the Satyagraha took a new turn, when K. Kelappan, the leader of the struggle, went on an indefinite fast to protest against the denial of entry into the temple to the Harijans. 
• Kelappan’s hunger strike evoked sympathy from across the nation, and senior leaders such as G.D. Birla, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, and Purushottamdas Thakurdas encouraged the Zamorin of Calicut to open the temple to all communities. 
• The Strike lasted twelve days, generating immense pressure in favour of temple entry. Ultimately, on Mahatma Gandhi’s repeated request, Kelappan broke his fast on 2nd October 1932. 
• Subsequently, a referendum was held in the region, where over 77% of the respondents spoke in favour of temple entry. 
• While Kelappan’s hunger strike failed to have an immediate impact, it generated considerable social amity, and the cause for temple entry gained success in 1936.