416 weddings in seven hours: Guruvayur Temple sets new record

GURUVAYUR: As Kerala entered the auspicious month of Chingam, Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple turned into a bustling wedding destination on Sunday, hosting 416 marriages in a little over seven hours.

The ceremonies were held between 4.10 am and 12.45 pm, with brief pauses during the temple’s Usha Pooja and Pantheeradi Pooja.

A total of 442 weddings, including spot bookings, had been scheduled for the day. By the end of the morning, 416 couples had completed their wedding ceremonies.

The day’s first wedding was held at the mandapam near the temple’s eastern entrance after Guruvayur Devaswom chairman A V Gopinath lit the ceremonial lamp.

Thalassery native Arnav Mohan Kumar tied the thali to Vidya Anand Raj of Pazhayangadi, marking the beginning of a packed morning of ceremonies. Weddings subsequently commenced across the other five mandapams.

The temple remained closed for Usha Pooja from 5.47 am to 6.12 am and was also briefly closed during the Pantheeradi Pooja before wedding ceremonies resumed.

Despite the large number of marriages, Sunday’s tally remained below Guruvayur’s previous record of 534 weddings, registered on September 8, 2024.

More than 100 civil police personnel were deployed in and around the temple and Guruvayur town to manage security and the large gathering of couples, families and visitors.

Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam calendar, is traditionally considered an auspicious period for weddings in Kerala, making Guruvayur one of the state’s busiest destinations for marriage ceremonies during the season.