Temple town Udupi
Udupi is a small temple town situated on the south western part of Karnataka. Udupi town is the administrative headquarters of the Udupi district, situated about 422 km northwest of Bangalore.
The name ‘dupi’ is derived from the Tulu word Odipu, which in turn is associated with the Vadabhandeshwara temple at Malpe. Another theory explains that the name was derived from the Sanskrit words, ‘Udu'(stars) and ‘Pa'(Lord), meaning Lord of the Stars. As per this legend, King Daksha, the father of 27 consorts of Lord Moon, once cursed the Moon. Due to this curse, the Moon lost its light day-by-day until he prayed to Lord Shiva to get back his original shine. Lord Shiva, pleased with the penance and devotion of Lord Moon, restored him with his shine. The legend goes that it was at Chandramouleeshwara temple at Udupi that the Moon along with his consorts made their prayer to Lord Shiva. This legend explains that the name ‘Udupi’, thus, refers to Lord Moon, the Lord of the Stars.
Udupi is synonymous with the Udupi Krishna Mutt (Udupi Krishna Temple), which abodes Lord Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. This temple is one of the famous Vaishnavite centers of the South and was founded by the Vaishnavite saint Shri Madhvacharya in the 13th century. Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt has the ambience and the appearance of an ashram. This temple is famous for its religious traditions and rituals, besides being a learning center for Dvaita or Tatvavaada philosophy. It is also the epicentre for the Daasa Sahitya, a literary genre native to Udupi.
The Udupi Krishna Temple is associated with some legends. As per one, the saint Madhwacharya found the idol of Sri Krishna, the presiding deity of Krishna Temple, in a large ball of gopichand. Another legend relates the temple to one of the devotees of Sri Krishna, Kanakadasa. According to this story, Kanakadase was once denied entry in to the temple. But he prayed so intensely that Lord Krishna turned back from the sanctorum and broke the back wall to grant Kanakadasa a gaze upon his divine form. Thenceforth, the devotees peek through the window on the back of the sanctum to get a view of Lord Krishna in the sanctum.
Udupi is situated on the National Highway 66. You can easily reach the temple town of Udupi from the nearby destinations such as Karkala, Dharmastala, Shimoga and Srinari by the State Highways of Karnataka.
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