Thronged by lakhs of devotees every month, Kerala's Guruvayur temple rose to prominence through the lore surrounding five saintly devotees - Poonthanam Nambootiri, Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiri, Manavedan Raja, Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, and Kururamma - who are still part of the temple legends and devotional folklore of Kerala. All of them, except for Kururamma, the lone woman devotee, have composed exquisite works in Sanskrit and Malayalam. These personages stand tall in the hearts of ordinary devotees through the strength and sweetness of their devotion to Guruvayurappan.

Thronged by lakhs of devotees every month, Kerala's Guruvayur temple rose to prominence through the lore surrounding five saintly devotees - Poonthanam Nambootiri, Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiri, Manavedan Raja, Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, and Kururamma - who are still part of the temple legends and devotional folklore of Kerala. All of them, except for Kururamma, the lone woman devotee, have composed exquisite works in Sanskrit and Malayalam. These personages stand tall in the hearts of ordinary devotees through the strength and sweetness of their devotion to Guruvayurappan.

Thronged by lakhs of devotees every month, Kerala's Guruvayur temple rose to prominence through the lore surrounding five saintly devotees - Poonthanam Nambootiri, Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiri, Manavedan Raja, Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, and Kururamma - who are still part of the temple legends and devotional folklore of Kerala. All of them, except for Kururamma, the lone woman devotee, have composed exquisite works in Sanskrit and Malayalam. These personages stand tall in the hearts of ordinary devotees through the strength and sweetness of their devotion to Guruvayurappan.