Udupi is a coastal town located on the west coast of India in the state of Karnataka. Udupi is known around the world for its Cuisine and Udupi Hotels. Equally world renown is the Sri Krishna Mutt situated at the heart of this Temple Town. Udupi is also known for its Educational institutions and hospitals most notable from the Maniapl Group. Manipal is a small hill town located 4 kilometers north of Udupi.
Directions
Udupi lies on the National Highway 17 (NH 17) connecting Mumbai in the north with Kerala in the south. There are regular bus services offered by both the state run Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) as well as other private operators, connecting Udupi with the state capital Bangalore and other major towns in Karnataka as well as neighboring states.
The Konkan Railway line passes through the district of Udupi with a railhead at Indrali, 3 kilometers from the city center. Major trains plying through this line are the Rajdhani Express (between Thiruvanathapuram and New Delhi), Matsyagandha Express (between Mangalore and Mumbai), Mangala Lakshadweep Express (between Cochin and Mumbai). Other trains include Gandhidham Nagercoil Express and Nethravathi Express. There is a passenger train running between Mangalore and Goa twice a day.
The nearest airport is located at Bajpe, near Mangalore. Regular flight services from Indian, King Fisher, Air Deccan and Jet Airways connect Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai with the west coast. The airport is about an hours drive from Udupi.
History
Udupi made its mark during the 15th century. Around this time, Udupi established itself at the center of Dwaitha school of thought in Hinduism. Seer Sri Madhvacharya, the proponent of Dwaitha principle hails from a small village called Pajaka, near Kunjaru, about 15 k.m. from Udupi. Madhva founded the statue of Sri Krishna in Udupi and established eight Mutts in order to ensure smooth functioning of the day to day spiritual and religious rituals at the Sri Krishna Mutt. The eight Mutts are: Adamaru, Pejavara, Palimaru, Shirooru, Krishnapura, Kaniyoor, Sodhe and Putthige. Madhva also initiated a system now known as the Paryaya wherein each of the heads of these eight Mutts will take turns in performing the day to day chores of the Sri Krishna Mutt for a period of two months. A couple of centuries later, another prominent seer, Sri Vadiraja extended the individual Paryaya duration from two months to two years which is followed till date. The current cycle of Paryaya took place in January 2008 and now the charge lies in the hands of Sri Putthige Mutt till the next Paryaya in 2010.
For more information on Udupi, please visit www.udupipages.com
Anecdotes
There are certain interesting anecdotes doting Udupi's history as well as that of Sri Madhva and Sri Vadiraja. Following are some of them...
=> Origin of name "Udupi": It is often said that Udupi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Udu' meaning the Moon God of Hindu Mythology. Chandra as he is more commonly known in the Mythology texts, the Moon God offered paeans to Lord Shiva to get rid of a curse. Lord Shiva is also attributed to having Chandra as a jewel in his head gear. So Udupi is where Lord Shiva was pleased with Chandra's prayers and blessed him absolving off the curse. Udupa is Udu + pa which means that the Lord of Moon God = Lord Shiva. There are two temples dedicated to Lord Shiva on the premises of Sri Krishna Mutt and the eight Mutts.
=> How the Sri Krishna idol came to Udupi: Seer Madhva was meditating at the sea shores of Malpe near Udupi when he saw a ship in distress. Madhva is considered as the third reincarnation of God of Winds "Vayu" of Hindu Mythology. The other two being Lord Hanuman of Ramayana and Pandava Bheema of Mahabharata. When he saw that the ship and the crew were in danger, Madhva waved his saffron shawl to calm down the seas and guided the ship to a safe landing. In return, as a token of their gratitude to the seer who saved their lives, the captain of the ship offered Madhva to take anything from the ship that pleased him. Sri Madhva then chose a piece of Gopi Chandana and took it back to Udupi with him. He then immersed the Gopi Chandana piece in the tank at the temple premises and there was a 2 feet long Sri Krishna idol. Incidentally the ship was coming from Dwaraka, the abode of Sri Krishna at the time of Mahabharata. So Sri Madhva founded the Sri Krishna Mutt and the eight Mutts as the legend goes...