Kannada, Kannadiga, Kannadigaru, Karnataka,

Udupi is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites in Karnataka and is  known for its association with Madhvacharya, the founder of the dualistic - Dvaita school of philosophy.  Seven  Muktistala pilgrimage sites in Karnataka are Kollur,  Udupi, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi, Kodeshwara, Sankaranarayana and Gokarna. Udupi is located at a distance of 36 km from Mangalore, the nearest airport.

The name Udupi arises from the legend that Chandra - the king of the stars (Udu-star, pa-king) performed penances towards Shiva (Chandramouleeswara) here to relieve himself of the curse that had been inflicted upon him by Daksha Prajapati.

Udupi is also known as Shivali - or Shiva belli. Legend has it that Parasurama upon reclaiming land from the sea, crowned his devotee Ramabhoja as a ruler. Ramabhoja killed a snake accidentally and to redeem himself from sarpa dosha, he created a silver peetham with a snake carved on it, installed Parasurama in the linga swaroopam and worshipped him as Ananteswara.

The Balakrishna temple at Udupi enshrines an image of Krishna believed to have been made by the divine architect Viswakarma.

Legend has it that Krishna’s mother Devaki and his wife Rukmini wished to enjoy his childhood pranks, at the end of the Dwapara yuga. The divine architect Viswakarma then created this image of Krishna bearing a churn in his right hand and a string in his left. Rukmini worshipped this image every day.

After Krishna’s departure from this world, Arjuna is believed to have hidden it, and the image is believed to have gotten covered with gopi chandanam - a substance similar to sandal paste.

A ship proceding from Dwarka  is beleived to have  carried this ‘lump’ bearing the image of Krishna and as it proceded through the stormy seas, Madhvacharya sensed the divine cargo, and calmed the storm and saved the ship. In return, he accepted this lump of a cargo, and discovered the image of Krishna. Madhva then installed and worshipped this image at Udupi.

The Balakrishna temple founded by Madhvacharya  dates back to the 13th century CE. It is a modest structure enshrining the image of Balakrishna in a sanctum viewed through a grating referred to as the Navagraha kindi, which has nine square holes. The Navagraha window is covered with silver sheets embossed with 24 different images of Krishna. 

To the west of this is the Kanakadasa mandapa. Legend has it that Krishna’s image turned towards the western wall, which had collapsed to reveal a full darshan of Krishna to Kanakadasa who had earlier been denied entry into the temple.

There is also a shrine to Chenna Kesava behind the sanctum. Behind this shrine is the eastern entrance of the sanctum, which is open only on Vijayadasami. Also in the temple are shrines to Garuda and Hanuman. Madhva’s shrine is situated right next to the sanctum. There are also shrines to Subramanya and Vaadiraaja in this temple.

Worship: Worship services here begin at 4AM. The worship services carried out here are the Nirmalya Darshana, Ushatkaala pooja, Panchamrita pooja, Udvardana pooja, Kalas Pooja, Go Pooja, Alankar Pooja, Maha Pooja, Brindavana Pooja, Samara Seva, Ranga Seva, Seeveli Seva and the Ekanta Seva.

Festivals: Makara Sankranti in the month of Makara (January 15) when the sun transits to the zodiac sign of Capricorn, a grand chariot festival is celebrated - carrying images of Krishna, Chandamouleeswara and Ananteshwara in procession. This seven day festival involves a float festival, and another chariot festival the Bhramma Rathotsavam is celebrated on the 7th day, when the Aaraattu is carried out in the Madhva Sarovar tank. Krishna Janmashtami is also celebrated with great splendour here.

Other temples at and near Udupi include the Ananteshwara and Chandramouleeswara   temples mentioned above, Shakti temples at Puttur, Kannarpadi, Bailur and Kadiyali, and Subramanya temples at Tangodu, Mangodu, Aritodu and Muchilkodu and the Balarama temple at Vada Pandeshwara.

The Mutts around Udupi: Udupi as mentioned before is the seat of Madhva’s dvaita philosophy. Eight of Madhva’s successors headed mutts established by him in this area. These mutts are located at Palimar (Sri Rama), Admar (Kaliyamardana Krishna), Krishnapura (Kaliyamardana Krishna), Sode (Bhu Varaaha), Puthige (Vitthala) , Sirur (Vitthala), Kaniyur (Narasimha),  and Pejawar (Vitthala). The spectacular Paryaya festival, when the leadership of the mutts changes, is celebrated once in two years.

The seven muktistalas of Karnataka are Udupi, Kollur, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi, Kodeshwara, Sankaranarayana and Gokarna. All of these shrines are also known as Parasurama Kshetras, created on the land reclaimed from the sea by Parasurama.  Kollur is held in reverence by pilgrims from Karnataka and Kerala alike. All of these shrines are cradled in the picturesque Western Ghats in the coastal region of Karnataka, and are well connected with Mangalore, the nearest airport.

Kollur enshrines the celebrated Mookambika temple, and is known for its close association with the celebrated spiritual leader Aadi Sankaracharya.

Udupi enshrines an enchanting image of Bala Krishna (Gopala), and is the seat of Madhvacharya - the founder of the Dvaita school of philosophy.

Gokarna: is one of the celebrated Shiva temples in Karnataka, enshrining the Atma Lingam. Gokarna has been revered by the tamil hymns of the Nayanmar saints of the 1st millennium CE.

Subrahmanya: This ancient pilgrimage enshrining Subrahmanya on the Kumara Parvata is located at a distance of 103 km from Mangalore, and 97 km from Hassan.

Kumbasi: This ancient pilgrimage center enshrines Ganesha in a standing posture. The temple tank has a small shrine in the center, one side of which is the Surya Pushkarini and the other is Chandra Pushkarini. Images of Hari, Hara and the Kamandala of Gowtama Muni are enshrined here.

Legend has it that  Gowtama Rishi who was engaged in meditation here, harrassed by a demon by name Kumbha. The Pandavas who were engaged in a pilgrimage of this area, are believed to have rescued him. Bhima is believed to have slain the demon with a sword provided by Ganesha. Five temples related to the pilgrimage of the Pandavas, are found in the neighboring coastal state of Kerala.

Kodeshwara: This pilgrimage center enshrines Kotilingeshwara, in a shallow Peetham. This temple also has shrines to Ganesha, Ardhanareeswara and Parvati. Legend has it that Shiva was worshipped here as Kotilingeshwara by Bhrama.

The annual festival is celebrated in the month of Vrischika (Scorpio), during the full moon. The full moon in the month of Vrischika is the commemoration of Shiva’s appearance as a huge cosmic column of light in front of Bhrama and Vishnu who worshipped him (as in Tiruvannamalai). Kodeshwara is located at a distance of 5 km from Kumbasi. The theertham here is Koti Theertham.

Sankaranarayana: Two Lingams are enshrined in the sanctum of the Sankaranarayana temple here, which also has shrines to Subramnaya, Panchamukha Anjaneya and Venugopala. Sankaranarayana is located on the banks of the Varahi river.A perennial spring oozes out of the sanctum. 

Legend has it that a sage by name Kroda  performed penances to have a darshan of Hari and Hara in the form of the Harihara swaroopam Sankaranarayana. Sankaranarayana is located at a distance of 25 km from Kodeshwara. The sacred theerthams here are the Koti theertham, the Agni Theertham and the Bhargava Theertham.