Guruvayur Maraprabhu

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Guruvayur Maraprabhu is a 54 feet (16 m) terracotta statue located at the Sreevalsam Guest House Complex in Guruvayur, Kerala, India. It is a creative interpretation of lord Guruvayurappan.

The word Maraprabhu means the ‘lord of tree’. The statue was inaugurated by K. Karunakaran, the popular Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala on 24 June 1995, his 77th birthday (according to Malayalam customs).The sculpture was designed by P.V.Ramachandran (a well known monument /terracotta artist of Kerala); chief sculptor being Krishnan Paloor, mainly assisted by Nilambur Apputty Swami, Nilambur Kuttan, Nilambur Chamy and Kozhikode Gopalan (all belonging to the traditional pottery community).[1]

## Myth

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Melpathur and Poonthanam were contemporary scholars and both were devotees of Guruvayurappan. The writing styles of Melpathur and Poonthanam were different. Melpathur used Sanskrit and at the same time Poonthanam used Malayalam. Once at a Sahasranamam recital Poonthanam wrongly recited ’ Padmanabha Amaraparbhu’ as ‘Padmanabha Maraprabhu' which means God of trees. Melpathur insulted Poonthanam by openly laughing out at him. Poonthanam’s compositions were brimmed with devotion and he was humble. The myth goes like this. Guruvayurappan himself came to the aid of his devotee and intervened as a celestial voice that ‘ I am also Maraprabhu‘ to save him from insult.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

## Features

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The sculptor P.V. Ramachandran is the one who is behind the construction of terracotta sculpture which is 52 feet tall.[contradictory] Thousands of artists labored hard for the construction of Guruvayur Maraprabhu. It was inaugurated by former Kerala Chief Minister, K. Karunakaran, who was the then Industrial Minister, Government of India.[10]

## Significance

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Maraprabhu is the symbol of cure with the help of herbs. Trees and Herbs are the ultimate source of medicines and it can cure ailments and can save the life. The Maraprabhu idol is said to generate immense cosmic energy because of the medicinal herbs used in its construction.

## References

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1. ^ Ramachandran P.V. (6 December 2009). "Guruvayoor Maraprabhu". Guruvayoormaraprabhu.blogspot.in. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
2. ^ "ഐതിഹ്യമാല/പൂന്താനത്തു നമ്പൂരി - വിക്കിഗ്രന്ഥശാല" (in Malayalam). Ml.wikisource.org. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
3. ^ "ഗുരുവായൂര്‍ മരപ്രഭു ചെറുപതിപ്പുകളുടെ നിര്‍മാണം ആരംഭിച്ചു | mangalam.com". Origin.mangalam.com. 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
4. ^ "'പദുമനാഭോ മരപ്രഭു' ഹാ... - Guruvayoor Online Friends". Facebook. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
5. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
6. ^ Nayathil, Dileep (19 July 2014). "ശ്രുതി: മരപ്രഭു". Nayathil.blogspot.in. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
7. ^ "Thrissur District News, Local News,തൃശ്ശൂര്‍, സുവര്‍ണ മരപ്രഭു പുറത്തിറക്കി, Kerala - Mathrubhumi". Sv1.mathrubhumi.com. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
8. ^ "How Maraprabhu brings good luck to your home?". Devotional Store. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
9. ^ Ramachandran P.V. (6 December 2009). "Guruvayoor Maraprabhu: The Temple Myth Of Lord Maraprbhu & Guruvayoorappan". Guruvayoormaraprabhu.blogspot.in. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
10. ^ Ramachandran P.V. (6 December 2009). "Guruvayoor Maraprabhu". Guruvayoormaraprabhu.blogspot.in. Retrieved 20 December 2016.