South India · Karnataka
Udupi, Karnataka
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
Madhvacharya's Krishna temple, famous for the Paryaya (biennial handover, January) and as the birthplace of Udupi cuisine.
About Udupi
- Coastal
Where it is
Udupi is a temple town and district headquarters on the coast of Karnataka, about 60 km north of Mangaluru, a few kilometres inland from the Arabian Sea at Malpe.
History
In the 13th century the philosopher Madhvacharya, founder of the Dvaita school of Vedanta, installed the image of Krishna at Udupi and founded the eight Ashta Mathas to care for it. Since the 16th century the mathas have taken turns to run the temple for two years each, handing over in the Paryaya festival, and the town grew as a centre of learning and pilgrimage.
People
Udupi's people speak Tulu, Kannada and Konkani, and the town is known for its vegetarian temple cooking, which Udupi restaurateurs carried across India. Yakshagana, the region's night-long dance-drama, and the university town of Manipal next door shape its cultural life.
Known for
- The Sri Krishna Matha
- The Paryaya festival
- Udupi vegetarian cuisine
- Malpe beach and St Mary's Island
- Yakshagana theatre
Did you know?
Legend says the Krishna image turned to face the poet-saint Kanaka Dasa as he prayed outside, and devotees still view the deity through the small window named after him, the Kanakana Kindi.
Shrines and sites
- Sri Krishna Matha
- Anantheshwara and Chandramouleshwara temples
- Malpe beach and St Mary's Island
Traditions
- Hindu
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