KOZHIKODE: A video of a boy running around the Guruvayur temple a few months back went viral on social media. It carried a caption saying that the boy, who had been unable to speak till then, started speaking after a special offering made at the temple, putting his parents from another state and people present at that time spellbound. The offering was Krishnanattam, the most important art form of the temple.
Since then, bookings for Krishnanattam started increasing. Since the demand has increased to a great extent now, the temple authorities have started giving one performance for several bookings made for the same purpose.According to the temple authorities, there were even days when one Krishnanattam was booked by more than 2,000 devotees.
With the demand going up, the authorities changed the booking arrangement, accommodating as many devotees for each Krishnanattam offering as possible. Bookings for Krishnanattam are taken by the temple except for Tuesdays and Fridays. Guruvayur Devaswom chairman Dr VK Vijayan said, “The temple has always had a special place in the minds of devotees around the country and this is the reason why Guruvayur always witnesses rush, more so during special occasions. In the last few months, the temple has been seeing thousands of people on a daily basis. Krishnanattam, which is one of the main offerings here, has been receiving bookings like never before.”The total collection of the temple including from the hundis was Rs 1.6 crore on Wednesday.
“Around two months back, we had a similar day when the total collection was Rs 1.7 crore. This is remarkable as the total collection for a month used to be less than Rs 6 crore before. Devotees are flocking to the temple from various parts of the country. Due to this rush, we have been forced to make several adjustments in the opening of the temple,” he said.
Eight stories from the life of Lord Krishna are performed as offerings for different purposes in the temple. They are ‘Avatharam’ for the birth of a child, ‘Kaleeyamardanam’ to remove the effects of poison, ‘Rasakreeda’ for the well-being of unmarried girls and end disputes between couples, ‘Kamsavadham’ to
remove enemies, ‘Swayamvara’ for a happy matrimony, ‘Banayudham’ for the fulfilment of vows, ‘Vividhavadham’ to eliminate poverty and increase yield from farms, and ‘Swargarohanam’ for salvation of a departed soul.
The fees for these Krishnattam offerings range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,300. According to the temple authorities, most bookings are for ‘Avatharam’ from couples without babies.