Udupi Sri Krishna Temple, Karnataka, India
Contributed By - Padma Kulkarni
Life is a journey. Make the best of it.”
Hope all of you had fun celebrating ‘Festival of Lights’ aka Deepavali.Today, let’s travel to Udupi located in Karnataka State, India.
Introduction
Udupi is the land of breathtaking beauty, located between the lushgreen mountains of the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Udupi is also known as the Mathura of the South India.
The Udupi Krishna Math was established in the 13th century by the great philosopher, Srila Madhvacharya.
In Udupi temple, Lord Sri Krishna presents himself in the form of a mischievous child. His one hand is holding the shaft used for churning the butter, the other holding the rope used by mother Yashoda for tying Him up. He stands there with a captivating smile, ready to shower His blessings on all His devotees.
Another attraction of Sri Krishna Temple is the ‘Kanakana Kindi’ or ‘Navagraha Kitiki’, a small window through which Lord Krishna gave darshan to His devotee, Kanakadasa when the later was declined from entering the temple premises. The window is exquisitely carved and silver-plated. It has been a tradition in this temple to have the darshan of the Lord only through this window.
Udupi is synonymous with the world-famous Udupi cuisine, which is served all over India in the efficiently-run Udupi restaurants, famous for dosas, idlis and other snacks. The tradition of this cuisine started in the great kitchens of the Krishna Temple which serve meals in the form of prasad to the thousands of devotees who visit the holy shrine.
Different ways to reach Udupi
Udupi is at a distance of 65 km from Mangalore, 147 km from Shimoga, 309 km from Mysore and 403 km from Bangalore.
Nearest Airport to Udupi is Mangalore which is 65 kms away. There are direct flights from Mumbai, Bangalore and Kozhikode.
There are many private and Govt. operated buses from different places be it Karnataka or neighboring states which stop right in front of the temple.
How Lord Krishna travelled from Dwarka to Udupi
Krishna’s mother Devaki, was denied of her son’s baal leela, since she was locked up in a prison with her husband Vasudeva by her very own evil brother Kamsa. After the marriage of Krishna and Rukmini Devi, mother Devaki expressed her desire to see Him as a small child. To fulfill His mother’s wish, Krishna transformed himself into a toddler and started showing his childhood antics. Devaki and Krishna were unaware that the new bride Goddess Rukmini Devi was watching this drama. She was so mesmerized with baby Krishna, that she went and hugged Him from behind. Immediately Lord Krishna changed himself to an adult.
Rukmini was now adamant and pleaded with Krishna to gift her a small deity. Immediately Lord Krishna called for the main architect Vishwakarma and asked him to carve baby Krishna in Shaligrama stone. Rukmini Devi was ecstatic seeing the deity. She offered her prayers everyday with loads of love and devotion. Days passed, it was now time for Lord Krishna to leave the materialistic world. At the end of the Yadava dynasty, Dwaraka was consumed by the surging sea waves and totally submerged. The sandal covered deity was washed away by the waves.
Centuries passed. One day when Srila Madhvacharya, was performing his morning prayers on the Malpe shore, he found a ship sailing in the turbulent sea. With his divine power, he was able to control the rough weather. The raging storm subsided immediately and the sinking ship moved to the safety of the shore. The grateful sailor fell at his feet with tears in his eyes and requested him to accept something from his ship as a token of appreciation. Sri Madhvacharya, with his divine eyesight asked for two big pieces of gopichandan.
On breaking open the sandal covers, he came across deities of their Lordships Sri Balarama and Sri Krishna. His joy knew no bounds when he realized through his divine vision that one of the deity found was the one worshipped by Goddess Rukmini Devi.
Overwhelmed, he immediately did prana pratishtapana of Lord Balarama by the sea shore. One can still find the beautiful temple of Lord Balarama known as Vadabandeshwara Temple. Madhvacharya carried the deity of Lord Krishna to his Matt at Udupi, 4 kilometers from the sea shore. The mere touch from the holy hands of Srila Madhvacharya was enough for the deity to get bestowed with all the divine powers. It was installed and consecrated with due religious rites at Udupi. And that temple today is called Sri Krishna Temple where lakhs of pilgrims visit every day and take His darshan and blessings.
Udupi Temple Governance and Sevas
The Udipi temple is known throughout the world for its religious customs, traditions, and learning in Dvaita philosophy. It is also the centre of Daasa Sahitya - Daasa is literally servant in Kannada and Sahitya is literature.
The Ashta Mathas or Monasteries of Udupi were established by Srila Madhvacharya. These Mathas were established in eight villages around the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. He appointed eight of his direct disciples as head of each Matha. The daily sevas and administration of the Sri Krishna Mutt are managed by them. Each of the Ashta Mathas performs temple management activities for two years in a cyclical order. The mathas are Pejavara, Puttighe, Palimaru, Adamaru, Sodhe, Kaniyoor, Shirur and Krishnapura.
The day’s activity commences exactly at 4 a.m. with the blowing of the conch and the beating of the ‘Nagari’ in the gopuram outside the Matha premises. The entire town is up at this time and everybody starts getting ready for the first seva of the day. There are around 18 sevas performed in the name of Lord Sri Krishna every day starting from 4:30 am and ending with Ekanta Seva at 8:50 pm. Afternoon prasad is a grand affair in Udupi and is called ‘Chowki Oota’ and the devotee gets to enjoy the prasad with the current pontiff.
Places to see around Udupi
• Sri Ananteshwara & Sri Chandramouleshwara Temple (Ancient temples in Udupi)
• Pajaaka Kshetra (Srila Madhvacharya’s birth place, 12 kms from the Temple)
• Gomatheshwara Temple, Karkala
Brahmavar
• Malpe and Kaup Beach
• Jogi Gundi Falls
• Agumbe Hill station
• Mangalore
• St. Mary’s Islands
Hope you enjoyed reading the article on Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. Any questions, please feel free to email me at msbrigades@gmail.com.