UDUPI - The Center of Pilgrimage and Vedanta

Udupi is one of the few pilgrim centres, which have, through centuries, sought to preserve the hoary Vedic culture and Vedantic philosophy of India, along with Sanskrit learning and educational enterprises founded on its cultural base.

Parshuram Kshetra
The strip of land between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, ranging from Nasik to Kanyakumari, is known as the "Parashurama Kshetra" (Holy Land of Parashurama). Hindu epics narrate a legend as to how sage Parashurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, reclaimed this piece of land from the sea.

Historical accounts of Parashurama Kshetra mention sub-divisions of this region, such as the Maratha, Konkana, Tuluva and Kerala. The coastal strip lying between Gokarna and Payaswini (Perumpula) river of Kerala State was known as Tuluva land or Tulu Nadu. Udupi, described in traditional religious literature as "Rajata Peeta" or "Ruupya Peeta", is deemed to be one of the seven holy places of Tulu Nadu, the other places being Subramanya, Kumbhasi, Koteshwara, Shankaranarayana, Kollur and Gokarna.

The name 'UDUPI' is modern Kannada version of 'ODIPU' which is the ancient name of this place in Tulu language. The Sanskrit name "Rajata Peetha" means a silver seat. This name is associated with the ancient Anantheswara Temple of Udupi, where a legendary king called Ramabhoja is believed to have worshipped Lord Parashurama in the form of a Shiva Linga, which manifested itself on a silver seat offered by the king for the purpose of worship. Shiva worshipped in this temple, in the one and the same symbol of a Shiva linga. Hence, the deity of this temple is called Anantheswara.

Udupi acquired nation-wide fame, when it was turned into a unique set of Vedantic leaning in the thirteenth century under the leadership of Sri Madhvacharya. Apart from his contributions to Vedantic philosophy, Sri Madhva founded the famous Krishna Temple of Udupi and made it the fountain-head of a new devotional movement, which eventually spread all over the country.

A detailed account of the episode of the installation of Sri Krishna's image at Udupi is available in a commentary written by Sri Raghuvarya Theertha of seventeenth century, pontiff of Palimar Mutt. The episode is as follows. Devaki, the mother of Lord Krishna, had not seen the charming the feats and frolics of his childhood at Gokula. Therefore, she once entreated Krishna in this adulthood at Dwaraka to show her one of those frolics of his childhood.

In response to his mother' wish, Lord Krishna once again assumed the form of his childhood, climbed up the laps of Devaki as she was churning curds, sucked her breast-milk, broke pots of curds, swallowed lumps of butter, and stood up with the churning rod in one hand and the churning rope in another, after snatching them away from his mother's hands. Devaki's joy knew no bounds, as she witnessed this sport of the Lord. Rukmini, who also sighted this childhood posture of the Lord, requested him to get an image of it carved out in Shalagrama Shila for her daily worship.

When Krishna departed from earth at the close of Dwapara Yuga, Arjuna deposited this rare image at a holy spot called Rukmini Vana in Dwaraka. In the course of the Kali Yuga, a merchant carried this image as merchandise from Dwaraka, mistaking it for a clod of Gopichandan in which the image lay hidden. The ship was wrecked near the sea-shore of Vadabhandeshwar (near Malpe port) Madhvacharya cam to know the wreckage of the ship by intuition, got he image dug out of the ship, kept it immersed for a few days in the holy tank of his mutt, and installed it for worship on an auspicious Makara Sankranthi day, nearly 700 years ago.

Hence forth, Lord Krishna became the presiding deity of Udupi. He is the source of happiness and salvation of all good people. Madhva installed this image of Krishna with the avowed purpose of removing all obstacles and among the several disciples of Sri Madhva, eight monks were jointly and severally made responsible for conducting the daily worship of Lord Krishna at Udupi, besides the usual duties of monkhood. These eight direct disciples of Madhva established separate lines of their own by ordination, and these eight lines of ascetics came to be known as the Eight Mutts or Ashta mutt of Udupi.

In the beginning, the Swamijis of the Eight Mutts used to be in charge of Lord Krishna's worship, by turns, for two months each. The system of worship in its present form is believed to have been established in the 16the century by Sri Vadiraja Swami, a celebrated pontiff of one of the Eight Mutts called Sode Mutt. According to the present practice, the Swamiji's of Eight Mutts conduct worship, by turns, for two years each. This tenure of worship by rotation is known as paryaya. The Swamiji, who is in charge of the worship, is called the PARAYA SWAMIJI, and his Mutt called the PARYAYA MUTT. The ceremony of handing over the charge of worship by one Mutt to another is known as the PARYAYA FESTIVAL. This festival, held once in two years, in the month of January, attracts thousands of pilgrims, from various corners.

Udupi is a divine shrine in the coastal region of Western Ghats. Situated about 60 kms from Mangalore, it is a fairly large and upcoming town that was sanctum of Madhvacharya, the great Sanskrit Philosopher. The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels. It is the center for education, social and religious activities in the district of South Canara. It is known for the famous Sri Krishna temple. The reasons for its fame are the statue of Sri Krishna installed by the great saint Sri Madhvacharya and the penance and influence of Sri Vaadiraja yathivarenya. 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.