Guruvayur Temple set for record weddings in Chingam; 429 ceremonies booked on August 23

GURUVAYUR: The famous Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur is set to witness a record number of weddings during the Malayalam month of Chingam, with hundreds of couples already booking their ceremonies on key dates. As many as 429 weddings have been booked for August 23, the first Sunday of Chingam. Another 342 weddings are scheduled for August 30, while 328 weddings have been booked for September 13. With the number of weddings rising sharply, the Guruvayur Devaswom Board has made special arrangements to ensure that both devotees and wedding parties can move around smoothly. Devaswom Board Chairman A V Gopinath said the Board is seeking the cooperation of devotees to ensure smooth darshan and the proper conduct of the large number of wedding ceremonies.

He said arrangements have been made in coordination with the police to ensure uninterrupted darshan for devotees and the smooth conduct of the weddings. A request has also been sent to the District Police Chief to deploy additional personnel inside and outside the temple and across the temple town to ensure the safety of devotees. To manage the heavy rush, weddings on August 23, August 30 and September 13 will begin from 4 am.

Six mandapams will be arranged for the thalikettu ceremony, with additional temple staff deployed at the venues. Traditional music teams will also be stationed near the mandapams. The temple's eastern entrance will be made completely one-way on these days, with devotees allowed to move in only one direction to help control the crowd.

Wedding parties, including the bride and groom, must arrive early and collect tokens from the counter at the new nadappanthal on the southern side of the Melpathur Auditorium. Resting facilities have also been arranged there. When it is time for the ceremony, the wedding parties will be allowed into the Melpathur Auditorium before proceeding to the mandapam at the eastern entrance for the wedding.

After the ceremony, the wedding parties must leave through the southern entrance. They will not be allowed to exit through the eastern entrance. The Devaswom Board also said that only 24 people, including photographers, will be allowed near the mandapam along with the bride and groom.