Udupi

Udupi

For most visitors, Udupi means Krishna.

That is understandable. The Sri Krishna Temple established by Madhvacharya in the thirteenth century is the religious centre around which much of the town developed.

But Udupi's temple landscape is much larger than Krishna alone.

Within walking distance of the Krishna temple are ancient Shiva shrines that predate the present Krishna tradition. Travel a little farther and we encounter Janardhana and Mahakali at Ambalpadi, the birthplace of Madhvacharya at Pajaka, a Balarama temple near the coast at Malpe, and important Ganesha and Shiva temples spread across the wider Udupi district.

My travels through Udupi gradually became an exploration of this larger sacred landscape.

This page brings those temples and pilgrimage places together.

Temples of Udupi Town

Krishna Temple

Sri Krishna Temple is the religious heart of Udupi.

The Krishna murti is unusual because devotees do not have a direct frontal view of it. Darshan takes place through a silver-covered window with nine openings known as the Navagraha Kindi.

The temple is also closely associated with Madhvacharya and the eight monasteries, or Ashta Mathas, of the Udupi tradition.

Once every two years, the Paryaya ceremony transfers responsibility for Krishna worship from one of these Mathas to another.

Ananteeswara Temple

It would be easy to visit the Krishna Temple and overlook Anantheshwara.

That would be a mistake.

Standing very close to the Krishna temple, Anantheshwara is one of Udupi's old Shiva shrines and predates the establishment of the Krishna Matha.

The temple is also connected with Madhvacharya, who is traditionally believed to have studied and taught here.

Its relatively restrained appearance is quite different from the activity surrounding the neighbouring Krishna temple.

Chandramouleeswara Temple

Chandramouleshwara Temple stands opposite Anantheshwara.

Local sacred tradition connects the temple with Chandra, the Moon God, who is believed to have worshipped Shiva here to be freed from a curse.

One explanation for the name Udupi itself comes from Udu, meaning star, and Pa, meaning lord, connecting the town with this story of the Moon.

Whether we approach that as sacred tradition or place-name lore, the temple reminds us that Udupi's Shaivite history existed long before the town became famous for Krishna.

Raghavendra Mutt

The Raghavendra Mutt adds another strand to Udupi's Vaishnavite religious landscape.

It is associated with the Madhva tradition followed by Sri Raghavendra Swami and forms part of the wider network of Mathas and religious institutions around this temple town.

Ambalpadi

Ambalpadi lies only a short distance from central Udupi but has its own important temple complex.

Janardhan Temple, Ambalapadi

The temple is dedicated to Janardhana, a form of Vishnu.

What makes Ambalpadi particularly interesting is that Janardhana worship exists alongside the powerful Shakti tradition centred on Mahakali.

Mahakali Temple, Ambalapadi

Mahakali is the other major deity of the Ambalpadi temple complex.

The presence of Janardhana and Mahakali within the same sacred space gives Ambalpadi a character quite different from Udupi's better-known Krishna-centred temples.

Madhvacharya's Birthplace

Pajaka Kshetra

Pajaka is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Madhvacharya, the thirteenth-century philosopher who established the Dvaita school of Vedanta and transformed Udupi into one of South India's major Vaishnavite centres.

It lies around 12 km from Udupi.

Places connected with his childhood and traditions associated with his early life are preserved here.

Visiting Pajaka after seeing the Krishna Temple helps connect the philosopher with the landscape from which his religious movement emerged.

Temples Around Udupi

Anegudde Vinayaka Temple

Anegudde, at Kumbashi, is one of the well-known Ganesha pilgrimage centres of coastal Karnataka.

The temple stands on a small hill and is dedicated to Maha Ganapati.

It lies roughly 30 km from Udupi, making it a natural stop while travelling north towards Kundapura.

Koteshwar Kotilingeshwar Temple

Koteshwara, near Kundapura, is known for the ancient Kotilingeshwara Temple, dedicated to Shiva.

The temple belongs to the larger sacred geography of coastal Karnataka and is recognised officially as one of Udupi district's important historic temples.

Its large temple tank and traditional coastal Karnataka architecture add to the experience.

Shankara Narayana Temple

The very name Shankaranarayana is interesting.

Here, Shankara represents Shiva and Narayana represents Vishnu.

The temple therefore centres on a combined Harihara tradition rather than treating the two deities as completely separate.

Located closer to the foothills of the Western Ghats, Shankaranarayana also feels quite different from the coastal temples around Udupi and Kundapura.

Vadapandeswara Temple

Near Malpe is one of the more interesting temples connected with the early religious history of Udupi.

Vadapandeshwara is dedicated to Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna.

Tradition connects the temple closely with Madhvacharya and the story of the Krishna murti that eventually reached Udupi.

The temple's proximity to the sea also gives it a setting quite unlike the temples of Udupi town.

Interestingly, one explanation for Udupi's old Tulu name Odipu connects it with Vadabhandeshwara itself.

More Than the Krishna Temple

Udupi Krishna Temple may be the natural starting point.

But it should not be the finishing point.

Walk a few metres and there are Anantheshwara and Chandramouleshwara.

Travel a little farther and Ambalpadi introduces Janardhana and Mahakali.

Pajaka takes us into the story of Madhvacharya.

Then the wider district opens up through Anegudde, Koteshwara, Shankaranarayana and Vadabhandeshwara.

Together, they reveal something I have often noticed while travelling.

A famous temple can dominate the identity of a town so completely that many older and equally interesting sacred places around it become almost invisible.

Udupi is a good place to look beyond the famous one.

Happy travelling.