The Guruvayur Devaswom, which manages the Lord Krishna Temple, has decided to allow weddings in the evenings and at night, which has brought joy to many devotees. The temple has been conducting weddings from 5 am till noon when the sanctum sanctorum is closed after the mid-day ritual. However, weddings were held even at night till four decades ago. The devaswom made arrangements for the first evening wedding held last Monday, which had the neyvilakku (lamp lit with ghee), garland made of holy basil, and nadaswaram (South Indian aerophone).
The decision to permit weddings at night came after several devotees raised the demand, and the devaswom approved it at a meeting in December last year. On auspicious days, hundreds of wedding ceremonies take place at Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, making it one of the most popular shrines for weddings. It is believed that a wedding conducted at Guruvayur Temple, often referred to as the Vaikunda on Earth, would lead to a long marital life and the blessings of Lord Krishna throughout their life together.
According to a temple official, ‘The devaswom has decided to permit weddings at night to ensure that more devotees can have a chance to get married in the temple. It will also help to reduce the rush during the morning hours when most of the weddings take place.’ The first evening wedding held after the decision was made saw the groom from Mapranam in Irinjalakuda and the bride from Malappuram tie the knot in the presence of their loved ones.
The decision by Guruvayur Devaswom has been welcomed by devotees, and it is expected that the number of wedding ceremonies at the temple will increase even further.
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