A pilgrim hot spot and a land of celestial beauty – Udupi
Dotted at the coastal region of Karnataka ,lying between the abundant mountains of the Western Ghats on the east and the immense calm Arabian Sea on the other side , Udupi is a major tourist destination with numerous temples, white sandy beaches and beautiful architectural buildings. It is a belief that the name of Udupi is an origination of Odipu, its Tulu name. But for others it’s a confluence of two sankrit word Udu means god and Pa means follower.
There are three temples in Udupi – Chandreshwara, Anantheshwara and Sri Krishna temple. Chandreshwara and Anatheshwara are the most ancient temples of Udupi.
Ancient and rustic standing tall with all its glory,Sri Krishna Temple is one of the most famous temple in south where tourist and local devotees throng to offer prayers and to catch a glimpse of Lord Krishna surrounded by Astha Mutta/Temple.
Udupi is the place of birth of Sri Madhavacharya who set up the Astha Mutta/Temple (Pejavara, Puttige, Palimaru, Adamaru, Sodhe, Kanivooru, Shirur, and Krishnapura) in the 13th century. These mutta’s are together called as the Krishna Mutta. He was the founder of the Dvaita School of Vedanta.
Another attraction of this temple is the ‘Kanakana Kindi’ -a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa. During Sri Vaadiraja ‘s rule, Kanakadas who was from a lower caste came to Udupi and was not allowed to enter inside the temple. He kept standing outside the temple and singing praises. Sri Krishna was so pleased by the worship of Kanakadasa, created a small hole in the back wall of the temple and turned west to give a glimpse to his devotee. This hole came to be known as KanakanaKindi.
This window is exquisitely carved and silver – plated depicting the ten incarnations of Vishnu. The unique feature of Shree Krishna Mutt temple is that the Lord is worshipped only through a window with nine holes called the Navagraha Kitiki.
Shri Krishna Temple – Udupi
We were lucky to be there during the evening rituals of the Temple. A serene atmosphere was created by the drums, chimes,bells and oil lamps which was truly divine. The statue was placed inside a huge chariot and was pulled around by people. The whole procession was led by the pundits and accompanied by holy elephant. We got a glimpse of Shri Krishna through the small window. You can feel the spirituality inside the temple. Though a bit crowded which is usual in any famous temples of India, his captivating appearance is worth a visit. The temple throbs with religious fervor.
The temple also offers free meals to all devotee in a huge hall which is delicious ,so do indulge in south indian cuisines as a prasadam.
Mythological Facts: A sailor was carrying Sri Krishna Statue completely covered by sandle wood in a ship. On one of his trip, the ship was caught in a terrible storm and Sri Madhvacharya sensed this by his divine knowledge and got the ship safely to the shore. The sailor pleased by this offered Madhavacharya anything from the ship and Sri Madhvacharya choose Shri Krishna statue and later he took it to the lake, purified it and installed it in the mutt.
How To Reach :
Rail: Udupi has a railway station that falls on the Konkan Railway line and all major trains halt there.
Bus: All major bus services are available from Mangalore,Bangalore,Mysore.Both regular and volvo services are available.
Air : Nearest airport is Mangalore
Accommodations:
There are plenty of hotels in Udupi as well as Mangalore ranging from budget to luxurious resorts.
You can also stay at the accommodation provided by Mutt.
Note : Photography is prohibited inside the temple.
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