Guruvayur temple awaits Modi, goshalas and rail link on agenda

Guruvayur (Kerala):Authorities at the famed Sree Krishna Guruvayur temple will seek help to modernize its 'goshalas' (cow shelters) and put the shrine on the railway map when Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes visiting on June 8.

The Chairman of the temple board, K.B. Mohandas, told IANS that the Prime Minister was scheduled to arrive in the temple around 12 noon.

"He is being accompanied by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The darshan will take place at 12.15 p.m. For security reasons the temple would be kept out of bounds for other devotees for around two hours," he added.

The temple officials are ready with a memorandum seeking funds for modernization of three 'goshalas' owned by the shrine, said one official.

"We keep around 2,000 cows and bulls at three places. The biggest one is a 95-acre farm in Malappuram and there are two smaller ones located near Guruvayur from where milk for the temple use is sourced.

"Our engineering team has prepared a memorandum for their modernization. We hope the Prime Minister will take a very positive response," said Mohandas.

He said the temple had also been seeking repeatedly a direct rail link as it was located away from the main railway line that goes through Thrissur, 28 km away.

"Since the Railway Minister is also coming, we will be putting up this request again. We wish that at least a few trains running on the Konkan route are diverted through the link line."

The centuries-old Guruvayur temple is one of the most important places of worship in Kerala and is also known as the "Dwarka of south India".