THRISSUR: The Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple witnessed 232 weddings on the first Sunday in the Malayalam month of Chingam. As the devaswom had made elaborate arrangements following the Kerala High Court order, the ceremonies were conducted hassle-free.
For many devotees, holding a wedding at Guruvayur temple is an offering. As weddings are not usually held in the month of Karkkidakam, Chingam has always been a busy month in Guruvayur. But this was the first time that the devaswom made temporary mandapams (stages) for the wedding rituals, in addition to the three permanent mandapams in front of the East entrance of the temple.
Usually, the devaswom does not restrict the number of people who can be with the bride and groom during ceremonies. As a petition was lodged in the High Court urging it to intervene to make weddings booked on Sunday hassle-free, the court had directed devaswom to make necessary arrangements to accommodate people who arrive for taking part in the wedding.
Based on the direction, devaswom had deployed additional staff and allowed only 20 people with each bride and groom team. So far, the record number of weddings that happened in one day in Guruvayur was on August 27, 2017. “During the pandemic period, many people who had booked weddings in Guruvayur had to cancel them following restrictions. This would also have caused the rush,” said a source in devaswom.
The Sree Krishna school ground was temporarily used as a parking ground and about 400 vehicles were accommodated here. The timely intervention of police under the supervision of Guruvayur ACP K G Suresh avoided traffic blocks on the roads to the temple. Most of the restaurants and catering service centres in Guruvayur also saw a huge rush.
Counter for marriage regn a distant dream
The Guruvayur Devaswom and municipality had jointly taken a decision to open a counter for marriage registration in front of the temple, to make it easier for the public. Despite the public demand, opening the counter remains a distant dream. Generally, those who hold weddings at Guruvayur temple have to register them in Guruvayur municipality. For many who come from distant areas or even other states, it becomes difficult to go to the municipality for marriage registration. A special counter for registration was raised as a solution for this.