Temples In India

Karnataka Udupi Temple

Udupi Sri Krishna Temple is mainly located in the coastal region of Western Ghats which is 60 kms from Mangalore. Madhyacharya, the great Sanskrit philosopher belongs to the same place. The bricks of the temple and the idol of Lord Krishna was placed by the great Sri Madhyacharya. Udupi Sri Krishna Temple is one of the seven places of pilgrimages of Hindus. Every day thousands of devotees surround the temple just to have a glimpse of Lord Krishna. The major attraction of this temple is a small window having nine holes known as “Navgraha Kitiki”. It is believed that Lord Krishna use to give his darshan to his most dedicated devotee, Kankadasa. The Navgraha Kitiki is elegantly designed and carved with silver metal. It is the rituals of the temple to worship Lord Krishna through the window.

History

In the 13 th century, Sri Krishna Matha was founded by saint Madhyacharya. He was also the founder of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. The story behind worshipping Lord Krishna through Navgraha Kitiki is that the greatest devotee of Krishna, Kanakadasa was not allowed to worship the idol and therefore she kept on praying in the name of Krishna. Seeing the devotion and dedication of Kanakadasa, Lord Krishna himself demolished the walls of the temple so that his devotee can worship him. Therefore, till now, this ritual is followed by the devotees.

Religious Significance

The daily rituals and offerings of the Krishna temple is managed by Astha Mathas( they are eight temples). The management of each matha has been divided among them for a minimum of 2 years. Therefore, the AsthaMathasis collectively known as Krishna Matha. The Astha Mathas are respectively known as  Pejavara, Puttige, Palimaru, Adamaru, Sodhe, Kanivooru, Shirur, and Krishnapura.

The daily offerings made by the devotees start at 5:00 a.m. in the morning and continue all day long. There is a large amount of the crowd each day to offer prayer and worship Lord Krishna.

Festival

The famous Paryaya festival is celebrated at the Krishna Matha every even consecutive year. As the management of the temple changes after two years likewise the festival management is also handled by the Swami of all Astha Matha every two years. The other festivals like Makara Sankranthi, Ratha Sapthami, Madhva Navami, Hanuma Jayanthi, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Navarathi Mahotsava, Madhva Jayanti (Vijaya Dashami), Naraka Chathurdashi, Deepavali, Geetha Jayanthi etc. are celebrated each year with great enthusiasm.

Modes to Reach Udupi

There are various modes of transportation to reach Udupi i.e. through bus, train, air. The air mode is the best option to reach Udupi. The Mangalore airport is the nearest airport from Udupi. It is just 60 kms away from Mangalore international airport. The taxis and buses are available from the airport to Udupi.

Through railways, Udupi is the main station which is on NH 17 connecting from Cochin to Mumbai. People can also opt for road journey which is quite feasible for nearer locations.

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