Guruvayur: With the auspicious Malayalam month of Mithunam coming to an end on 16 July, Guruvayur temple witnessed a surge of wedding ceremonies with as many as 99 marriages being solemnized on Sunday. 

Karkidakam will see less number of weddings taking place on the temple premises. However, with the ‘wedding month’ Chingam’s arrival, numerous people will flock to Guruvayur to solemnize their weddings under the blessings of the deity. 

On Sunday, the time between 8-10 AM witnessed huge crowd. As it was raining during that time, the temple ‘nadapura’ was filled with people. 

Since VIP darshan pass is not permitted on holidays till noon, the number of people who choose the ‘neivilakku’ (oil lamp lit with ghee) ritual increased. More than 1800 people chose the ‘neivilakku’ ritual which allows devotees to enter the temple through the flagpole without waiting in the queue. Devaswom received a revenue of Rs 15 lakhs from this mode alone. 

On previous holidays, over 2000 people took up the ‘neivilakku shittangam’. Rs 20 lakhs was drawn from ‘thulabharam’ rituals. The total revenue received in Guruvayur on Sunday amounts to Rs 57 lakhs.