Guruvayoor Temple, Kerala

Kerala's famous Guruvayoor temple was a surprise. It turned out to be a very small temple by South Indian standards (The last temple I visited was the city-sized Madurai Meenakshi complex). Thought it was decked like a shopping mall, the atmosphere is Khumb Mela-like-fantastic. The elephants are super cool and mesmerising, as expected. Though I could not find the elephant our Chief Minister Yediyurappa gifted. And except for the pilgrims, it's situated in a region where the population is largely muslim, thanks to it's location on the Malabar coast famed for its trade ties with Arabs and West Asia for over 3000 years. But then, the main idol at the temple itself is said to have been washed up from the ocean.