Guruvayur Temple Sets Record With 416 Weddings in Seven Hours

The famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala witnessed a record 416 weddings in a single day on Sunday, with the ceremonies completed within about seven hours, Devaswom officials said. The figure surpassed the previous record of 334 weddings held on September 8, 2024.

The first Sunday of the Malayalam month of Chingam is considered highly auspicious for weddings at Guruvayur, traditionally drawing large numbers of couples to the temple. A total of 442 weddings, including spot bookings, had been scheduled for Sunday.

The ceremonies began at 4.10 am and continued until 12.45 pm, with brief interruptions when the temple closed for Ushapooja and Pantheeradi Pooja. The day's first wedding was solemnised after Devaswom Board Chairman A V Gopinath lit the ceremonial lamp at the first mandapam near the eastern entrance.

Thalassery native Arnav Mohan Kumar and Pazhayangadi native Vidya Anand Raj were the first couple to marry, after which ceremonies began simultaneously at other mandapams.

To handle the unprecedented number of weddings, six mandapams were arranged in the temple courtyard. Tokens were issued to each wedding party, while the number of accompanying people was restricted to 24 to prevent overcrowding. Officials said more than 60 weddings were conducted every hour across the six mandapams.

Gopinath said around 137 weddings were completed within the first two hours, describing the occasion as unprecedented in the temple's history.

The Devaswom made extensive arrangements for crowd management and emergency assistance. More than 100 police personnel were deployed, while ambulances and doctors were kept on standby. Fire and Rescue Service personnel were also stationed near the temple's inner ring road.

Gopinath credited the cooperation of local residents and devotees for helping facilitate the ceremonies. Restrictions were imposed on regular devotees seeking darshan to ensure the weddings could proceed smoothly during the auspicious period.

The Devaswom later released a video featuring newlywed couples who spoke about the arrangements and facilities provided for the historic day's ceremonies.