India
pti-PTI
The famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple witnessed a record 416 weddings in seven hours on Sunday, the highest number held at the temple in a single day, Devaswom officials said.
The first Sunday of the Malayalam month of Chingam is considered auspicious for weddings at Guruvayur, resulting in a large number of marriages being held on the day. Guruvayur Devaswom, in a Facebook post, said the previous record of 334 weddings, held on September 8, 2024, was surpassed on Sunday.
Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple set a record by hosting 416 weddings on Sunday, the first Sunday of Chingam, surpassing the previous record of 334 ceremonies held on September 8, 2024.
A total of 442 weddings, including spot bookings, had been scheduled for the day, the Devaswom said. The ceremonies began after Devaswom Board Chairman A V Gopinath lit the ceremonial lamp at the first mandapam at the eastern entrance of the temple early in the morning.
The weddings began at 4.10 am and continued until 12.45 pm, except for brief periods when the temple remained closed for Ushapooja and Pantheeradi Pooja, the Devaswom said. Amid traditional music, Thalassery native Arnav Mohan Kumar tied the mangalsutra around Pazhayangadi native Vidya Anand Raj, marking the beginning of the day’s wedding ceremonies.
Weddings subsequently began at the other mandapams. Six mandapams were set up in the temple courtyard to conduct the marriages, officials said. Tokens were issued to each wedding party, while the number of people accompanying the bride and groom was restricted to 24 to prevent overcrowding, officials said.
More than 60 weddings were conducted every hour across the six mandapams, they added. Guruvayur Devaswom Board Chairman A V Gopinath told reporters that it was the first time such a large number of weddings had been held at the temple.
“For the first time in Guruvayur’s history, so many weddings were held. The most important factor was the cooperation of the people of Guruvayur. Restrictions were imposed on regular devotees coming for darshan, and the public extended immense support to facilitate the weddings at the auspicious time,” he said.
He said the Devaswom had arranged all necessary facilities for the ceremonies.
“More than 100 personnel from the police department were deployed for crowd management. Ambulance services were stationed to assist anyone who fell ill, and doctors were kept on standby. Whatever facilities can be arranged for a wedding in Guruvayur, we had made them available,” he said.
Fire and Rescue Service personnel were also stationed near the temple’s inner ring road to respond to emergencies. Gopinath said around 137 weddings were conducted within the first two hours.
The Devaswom released a video on its social media handles featuring newlywed couples who spoke about the arrangements and facilities provided at the temple.
