Guruvayur Temple timings
Kerala Tourism publishes the temple's hours as 3:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM to 9:15 PM. That is two long windows with a four-hour closure in the afternoon, which is normal for a large Kerala temple. The Guruvayur Devaswom's own website is a booking app that does not publish its daily pooja schedule in a readable form, so the individual pooja times circulating online have not been verified here.
Photo: RanjithSiji, CC BY 3.0, cropped and resized
Guruvayur timings through the day
Best time for darshan. Guruvayur opens at 03:00, and the early part of the morning window is the traditional time for darshan. The temple is closed from 12:30 to 16:30, so a midday arrival means a long wait. Dress before you queue: men in a plain white or cream dhoti, women in a saree, skirt and blouse, or churidar.
Full daily schedule
Two standing windows from the Government of Kerala's tourism department. The individual poojas inside them are not listed, because no official schedule of them could be read.
| Time | What happens | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 03:00 – 12:30 | Temple open | Public darshan |
| 12:30 – 16:30 | Closed | Closed to the public |
| 16:30 – 21:15 | Temple open | Public darshan |
Guruvayur timings during festivals
Utsavam February–March
The ten-day annual festival, opened by the Aanayottam elephant race.
Guruvayur Ekadasi Annual, month-long
A month-long celebration with Udayasthamana pooja and the 11-day Chembai music festival.
How to read the Guruvayur schedule
The hours are simple. The constraint at Guruvayur is what you wear and who you are, not what time you arrive.
Before dawn Opening
Kerala Tourism gives the opening time as 3:00 AM.
Closed Afternoon
Arriving after lunch means waiting until 16:30.
End of the day Closing
The last public window ends at 21:15.
No shirt Men
Plain white or cream dhoti only; shirts, trousers, jeans and lungis are not allowed.
Or churidar Women
Kerala Tourism lists saree, skirt with blouse, or churidar as acceptable.
Not allowed inside Non-Hindus
A board at the temple, photographed on Wikimedia Commons, states that non-Hindus are not allowed inside.
Not verified yet 4 items no official source publishes
- The individual pooja times, such as Nirmalyam and Ucha pooja, which are widely quoted but have not been found on an official page that could be read.
- Ekadasi and Utsavam timings.
- Days of Udayasthamana pooja, when the day's schedule is said to change.
- Queue times, which nobody outside the temple measures reliably.
Know one of these from an official notice? Send it to us and the page is updated with a new date.
What people ask about the schedule
Answered from the published schedule, and marked unverified where it is.
What time does Guruvayur Temple open?
At 3:00 AM, according to Kerala Tourism.
What time does Guruvayur Temple close?
The morning window closes at 12:30 PM and the evening window at 9:15 PM.
Is Guruvayur Temple closed in the afternoon?
Yes. It closes at 12:30 PM and reopens at 4:30 PM.
Where do these timings come from?
From Kerala Tourism, the Government of Kerala's tourism department, read on the date shown under the table. The Devaswom's own site does not publish them in a readable form.
What are the pooja timings at Guruvayur?
Detailed pooja timings are widely repeated online but have not been verified on an official page, so they are not printed here.
Do timings change on Ekadasi?
Almost certainly, since Ekadasi is marked by Udayasthamana pooja, but the change has not been verified on an official page.
Is there a weekly closed day?
No weekly closure is published.
What is the best time to go?
Early in the morning window, from 3:00 AM, is traditional for devotees. Avoid arriving between 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM, when the temple is closed.
Back to the whole temple
The dress code, the entry rules and everything else about Guruvayur that has been verified against a published source.