UDUPI
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare !
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare !!
Udupi – A diverse city of Karnataka
Udupi is a pleasant coastal region hosting the famous Shri Krishna temple along with many other glorious temples. The magnificent beaches and coastal breeze-filled atmosphere made it a travel destination for many people. Udupi is one such city of south India that keeps the place alive with pilgrims and travelers.
Udupi Shri Krishna Matha
The city Udupi and the Krishna matha have been associating for ages and have become inseparable. Udupi Krishna matha is one of the important religious centers in Karnataka that believes in Dwaitha Vedantha. The city witnesses hundreds of visitors every day coming to offer their prayer and to seek the blessings of Shri Krishna. The ambiance and divinity of this place made it to get the adjective ‘Mathura of South India
History of Shri Krishna Matha
In the Udupi temple, the lord Krishna is worshiped as Balakrishna (child form). And it is widely acknowledged by everyone that it is one of the most beautiful idols of Shri Krishna. A fascinating thing about the temple is, unlike other temples, the idol here is west-faced and is worshiped in the same way.
The construction history of this temple rewinds to the 13th century, to the period of Madhwacharya. He is a philosopher and a Vaishnavaite saint, dedicated his entire life to Dwaitha ideologies and principles.
It is very intriguing that, the Udupi Krishna temple is associated with many tales. One such tale entangles the two glorious cities Udupi and Dwaraka and retrospects the founding history of Krishna temple.
It was the time when Krishna was looking after the administration of Dwaraka. On one such day, Devaki confront Krishna and confessed her miserable feeling of not experiencing his childhood because of imprisonment. Continuing with that, she expressed her desire to see him as a child and enjoy her motherhood for
once. Upon her request, Krishna took his child form again and relived his childhood for Devaki. This whole scenario happened in the array of Rukmini’s notice and she fell in love with the child form of Krishna.
This made Rukmini request the famous Sculpture Vishwakarma to make the idol of Balakrishna. He with his exceptional skill carved the most beautiful idol in Saaligrama. Rukmini treasured and worshiped it with utmost devotion. When the Krishna left the world and the city Dwaraka drowned, the sea flooded the whole city along with this idol.
Centuries after, this idol was caught by a sailor. He thought it was just a piece of rock and began using it to balance the ship. When he was sailing on the west coast ( near to present malpe), his ship was captured by a storm and started losing its balance. The saint Madwacharya, who was meditating on the shore sensed the danger and signaled the ship by waving his cloth. This timely presence of help by Madwacharya saved the ship from the disaster. To express his thanking, the sailor asked Madwacharya to take anything from his ship. Madwacharya noticed the rock-looking idol and received it as a token of gratitude.
When he cleaned the idol and came to know it is an idol of Balakrishna, he delightedly constructed a temple for it and led the basement for one of the major religious centers for devotees.
The Dravidan style architectural temple, the deity Shri Krishna and many mythological histories associated with the temple let the visitors experience an unparallel satisfaction.
Along with all this, the temple offers free meals to every visitor. The south Indian meal offered here has got its authenticate flavor, which every visitor validates and craves for it. Not just that, the temple meal is also distributed to nearby schools every day.
Like every other temple, the Udupi Krishna temple has also a very detailed pooja routine. But there are some special occasions like Krishna Janmashtami,
Paryayotsava, Laksha Deepotsava, and many other festivals that attract thousands of devotees from many parts.
Things to do in Udupi
Udupi being the coastal district of Karnataka, has got a natural scenic view and a seashore vibe. The diversified atmosphere of Udupi made it a perfect holiday destination for travel enthusiasts. The convenient connectivity of this city with other major cities of the country is also one of the major reasons for being a tourist destination. The district houses many magnificent beaches, temples, and some Museums.
Malpe beach located 6km away from Udupi city is one of the most popular places visited by people. The lined palm trees along the shore, clean white sand, never-ending sealine, and the skyline pleases every visitor. Added to this, the Malple entertains people with some adventure and water sports activity which made it a favorite touring spot.
Another geological attraction of Udupi is St Marys Island. It is a group of 4 inhabited islands located just 4km away from Malpe. The appealing monoliths and basalic rock formation ample the charm of the island. The crystal clear water of the beach and the crystalline rock structure along the shoreline provide a mesmerizing view for visitors.
Not just that, Udupi engages people with many other pristine beaches like Kapu beach, Mattu beach, Padubidri beach, Kodi Bengare beach, and many others. These beaches captivate the visitors with their alluring beauty and enchanting sunset view.
Some interesting things to know about Udupi
Apart from being the city of temples and beaches, Udupi is one of the cities which maintained pace with the development. The city’s economy is run by agriculture, fisheries, tourism, textiles, metalwork, and many other resources. From the past century, Udupi stepped into industries, business, and banking sector also and successfully leading in it.
Education
As it is said, the empowerment of any region depends on 2 Es – Education and Entrepreneurship. Udupi is one of those cities that has been persistent in excelling in these two fields. As a result, this coastal region has emerged as a prominent educational hub of the country. To substantiate this, in every year’s board result Udupi district has been holding its position under the top 5. And to add to this, Udupi hosts many national and internationally recognized institutions.
Be it graduation, post-graduation, medical, engineering, agricultural studies Udupi is one of the top preferred cities to get admission into. The academic experts of both the government and private education institutes thrive to provide the best learning experience for students
Cuisines and the Restaurant business of Udupi
Apart from beaches and Krishna temple, people remember Udupi for its typical scrumptious dishes and outspread restaurant business. The traditional and authentic recipes of Udupi are something to hunger for. The food variety includes the famous Masale Dose, Banana buns, Idli and coconut chutney, Goli baje, Rasam and Sambar, and many others. There are some typical recipes like Pathrode, Majjige Huli, Gashi that are famous among the locals and are soul-satisfying dishes.
It might not be an elaboration to say, the cuisines of Udupi got much recognition with Udupi hotels that are branched in every city of India. The free meal offering service started in the Shri Krishna temple around the 13th century, ignited the Udupi hotel industry. It is said that the temple cooks moved across the states and started their hotel business. And over time it has grown as a brand and even expanded internationally.
Udupi in Finance and corporate sector
As mentioned earlier entrepreneurship is one of the factors of a developing region. The intellectual people of Udupi realized this even before independence and had started investing in the financial sector. The major banks like Corporation Bank and Syndicate bank originated in Udupi and led the foundation to financial institution development. As a growing city having necessary infrastructure, lately, Udupi city has become one of the preferred locations for corporate companies as well.