Varied
Offerings
There are countless incidents like these, which should lift the hearts of the sick, the
depressed and the helpless. Indeed devotees come in thousands to Guruvayur. The favors
they seek of the Lord are different-cure of bodily ills, mental peace, progeny, success in
vocations and examinations and, above all, salvation. They stay for a day or two and
worship. There are those who go to Guruvayur for Tinkal or monthly bhajan or the 41 -day
bhajan in fulfillment of a vow or just to propitiate the Lord. Their offerings too vary
from a small archana (offering of flowers) costing a few paise to the laborate
udayastamana pooja (literally from dawn to dusk) consisting of 21 special poojas and
costing about Rs.10, 000. One of the most popular
offerings is Thulabharam-a ceremony in which the devotee is weighed against bananas,
sugar, jaggery, coconuts, etc., the article weighed being gifted to the temple. Then
Annaprasanam, first feeding ceremony of the: child and marriages are conducted here on a
mass scale. |
