During the second month of my school vacation, we embarked on a month-long journey to Kerala. Kerala, a picturesque state located at the southernmost tip of India, is where my parents were born and raised. This trip was a chance to visit my grandparents and other relatives, with numerous temple visits on the itinerary.

Our first destination was the renowned Guruvayoor Sreekrishna Temple, situated in the Thrissur district. We began our journey on the 10th of July. First, we drove to Chengannur Railway Station and parked our car there. My grandparents and my uncle (Dad’s younger brother) joined us for the trip. We boarded the Vande Bharat, a newly inaugurated superfast train, at 6:15 a.m. and enjoyed a delicious breakfast on board.

We arrived at Thrissur Railway Station and proceeded to the famed Vadakunathan Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is celebrated for hosting the grand Thrissur Pooram festival, and we were impressed by the majestic banyan trees in the vicinity.

Following our visit, we took a local train to Guruvayoor, reaching there at 12:30 p.m. Since our hotel, Brahmaputra, could only accommodate us from 2:30 p.m., we decided to have lunch at a restaurant named Pazhayidom. After lunch, we visited an elephant sanctuary where we observed elephants engaged in various activities such as eating, bathing, and dancing. We even had the opportunity to dance alongside an elephant. By the time we finished, it was around 1:45 p.m., and we took an autorickshaw to our hotel.

After a two-hour rest, we refreshed ourselves, donned our traditional attire, and walked to the temple. En route, my mother purchased jasmine garlands for our hair. The queue to enter the temple was lengthy, taking about 2.5 hours, but we were entertained by classical dance performances by both children and adults on a side stage. Once inside, we prayed with great devotion.

Later, we had dinner and returned to the hotel for a restful night. The next morning, we woke up around 4 a.m., changed into our traditional attire once more, and headed back to the temple. This time, we opted for a special queue, which allowed us to enter the temple within minutes. After our prayers, we enjoyed breakfast and did some shopping at nearby stores. My grandmothers bought devotional books, lamps, pooja items, and pappadam, while my sister selected a toy and I chose a flute.

After returning to the hotel, we packed our belongings and took a local train back to Thrissur Railway Station. From there, we boarded the Venad Express and arrived at Chengannur Station. Upon reaching the station, we discovered that the battery of our car was dead. We took a taxi and picked up food from a restaurant on our way home. Once we arrived, we freshened up, had dinner, and went to bed.

The experience was truly remarkable, and the time seemed to fly by during those two days. We are grateful to Lord Krishna for this wonderful experience. As I reminisce, I recall a devotional song:

“Krishna Krishna Mukunda Janardana, Krishna Govind Narayana Hare…”