Udupi City Guide

The vaishnavaite saint Jagadguru Madwacharya who found the School of Dvaitha in Hinduism during the 13 th Century, has established the Krishna Math (Mutt) and since then, the Krishna Temple and the other temples in the surrounding areas are taken care of by the Mutt.

The general practice to visit Lord Krishna in the sanctum sanctorum is through the silver plated window with nine holes. The dress code recommended is the traditional Indian wear as Dhothis, Shirts and Pants for Men and Sarees, Salwars, skirts for Women. It is one of the several temples where the devotees are offered with noon meals as the Prasadham.

The Lord Krishna in Udupi is offered with different varieties of food items and the recipes have become very popular. The cuisine of Udupi is famous across the world and wherever you go, you can see the hotels offering delicious dishes titled “Udupi Cuisine”. The important festivals celebrated in Udupi are, the biennial Paryaya festival, Janmashtami, Makara Sankaranthi, Ratha Sapathami and Madhwa Navami.

Though the practice of taking idols in procession during festival times is a common practice in Hindu culture, Udupi is very special with respect to the different chariots in which the idol of Lord Krishna is taken on the streets around the temple called Radhbeedhi.

Different chariots made of Wood, Silver, Gold and Navarathna (Nine Precious metals) are available in this temple for Lord Krishna to go on a procession and see His devotees. The economy of the Udupi city is mainly from tourism, agriculture, fishing and handloom industries.

The poverty rate is very low in Udupi when compared to the nearby cities in Karnataka. The people in Udupi are very particular in preserving and nurturing the age old art forms native of Udupi like, Yakshagana and Nagamandala performed with large number of participants and visitors. The languages spoken in Udupi are Tulu, Kannada, Konkani and Urdu Nawayati.