Udupi

Most Indians know of Udupi not as a place, but as a category of restaurants. Udupi restaurants that generally serve vegetarian food in the South Indian style can be found all over India. Not many know of the sleepy coastal town from which this great cuisine originated, Still fewer know of its reputation as the location of a Krishna temple and a monastery established by the founder of one of the three main philosophical strains of present-day Hinduism.

Many, however, have heard of Manipal, a major educational centre, and a suburb of Udupi, that attracts students from all over India and internationally.

The town of Udupi lies in Udupi taluka which in turn is in Udupi district. This article covers the taluka. To its north is Kundapura and to its west is Karkala, at the foothills of the Western Ghats. To the south of Udupi is Mangalore, which is the headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district.

History
Politically, Udupi had an uneventful history. It was ruled by various feudatories of the Mysore kings till it was taken over by the British, who then made it part of the administrative district of Kanara, which was then divided into South and North Kanara. Udupi was part of the former. After independence, South Kanara became Dakshina Kannada, and in 1998, Udupi district was hived off from Dakshina Kannada.

Its claim to fame is as a religious and spiritual centre. Udupi is the headquarters of the Maadhva sect of Hinduism. This sect was established by the sage Madhvacharya in the 13th century. He propounded the Dvaita philosophy, which is commonly translated as dualism, rivaling the older Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy propounded by Sankaracharya,

Maadhvas are Vaishnavites, worshippers of Vishnu, of whose many incarnations Krishna is one. The Krishna temple Madhvacharya worshipped at is the heart of the city, and a major pilgrimage destination.

Udupi had a nascent career as a financial hub till the 1960s, with many banks being established here, but most of them got nationalized. Manipal, a suburb of Udupi city, is an important educational and medical centre owing to the efforts of T M A Pai in the 1960s.

Climate
The weather is fairly equable throughout the year, due to the nearby Arabian sea. Temperature ranges from 30 to 35 °C in day time and is around 25 °C at night. Humidity is normally high most of the time.

The rainy season is from June to September. At this time the monsoon shows its colours. Within seconds, you could find yourself soaked in rain water.

The best time to visit is October to March, when the weather is cool. April and May will be hot and June to September will be wet, so if you are visiting during this time, you will spend most of your time indoors. But then, April and May is when you get the ripe mangoes, and June to September is when the rains make the area green and beautiful, so life isn't fair.

Get in
Udupi is well-connected with the cities on India's west coast. NH-66 (formerly NH-17) runs right through Udupi, connecting it to Mumbai and Goa to the North and Mangalore and Kochi to the South. Konkan Railway connects Udupi to the same cities. The city is around 406 km from Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. Rail connectivity with Bangalore is good, but travelling by road is a good option, as you are exposed to the beauty of the nature. The road journey through Agumbe ghats is really mesmerizing.

By plane
Mangalore International Airport is 59 km from Udupi. The airport is well-connected with major Indian cities and a few Middle-eastern destinations.

Pre-paid taxis (non air-conditioned) can be booked from the counter inside the arrival terminal. They take approximately 1½ hours to reach.

Goa's Dabolim airport is around 300 km from Udupi. Getting in via Goa is not the most practical or convenient way to get to Udupi, but if you are planning to combine a vacation in Goa, this is a good option.

By train
Udupi is a major station on the Konkan railway route. There are connections with Mumbai, Bangalore and Mangalore. Major trains including Rajdhani Express stop at Udupi Railway Station. A night train is available from Mangalore to Bangalore, known as the Mangalore-Bangalore express. Yeshwantpur-Karwar express is another train which connects Bangalore to Udupi and runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

By car
Udupi is located right on National Highway NH-66 (formerly NH-17) connecting Kochi with Mumbai. See Karavali about the lowdown on this route. This connects Udupi with Kerala, Coastal Karnataka (including Mangalore), Goa, and the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Drive in on your own only if you are used to driving on Indian highways. Alternatively, hire a driver or take a cab.

From Bangalore, you first must come to Mangalore via roads which mostly pass through zig-zag hilly roads, or ghats. NH-75 (formerly NH-48) is the road that connects Bangalore and Mangalore, which passes through Shiradi Ghat. However, the ghat roads seem to get damaged every year during the monsoon, so make inquiries in advance and decide which of the four ghats is relatively passable and adjust that portion of the route accordingly.

By bus
Buses regularly ply from major southern cities and Maharashtra to Udupi. Choose from the Volvos (AC buses), Airbuses or KSRTC buses depending on your budget. Private buses generally have two stops in Udupi &mdash; the service bus stand at the centre of the city, and near Tiger circle at Manipal. It is one-hour journey from Mangalore (around 60 km). Regular buses ply from Mangalore very frequently, both AC and non-AC. You will easily get those from either Mangalore KSRTC bus stand or from the public bus stand (locally called the State Bank bus stand). It is also well connected from nearby towns like Murudeshwar, Karwar or Gokarna.

Get around
Buses, cabs and auto-rickshaws are ways to get around the city. Udupi has excellent city bus services run by various private companies. Buses generally start and end at the main bus stand. There are bus stops throughout the city. Ask around. Tickets can be bought once you board or from the conductor just before boarding. Rates start from ₹5 per 2 km.

By taxi
Hired cabs are available, though they can't be hailed off the street. They are unmetered, but as a general guide, ₹15 per kilometre for a non-air-conditioned compact car for short distances is a good starting point.

By autorickshaw
Autorickshaws can be found on the street, and are generally a cheap mode to travel. For autos, fares start at ₹25 for the first 1.5 km and go up by ₹16 every kilometer after that. This is assuming that they agree to go by the meter, which they generally do not. Nonetheless, this is a good guide to estimate the rate you should agree to.

On foot
Walking around the city when the weather is good is a nice experience. There aren't any footpaths, though, so you will have to share the side of the road with autos and bikes.

See
Udupi has some nice beaches, lush greenery, the quaint charm of a small town and many temples. Many of the places to visit are not very well known to many people outside of Udupi. If you are an adventurous person who loves nature, there is a lot to explore in Udupi.

Krishna temple complex
The heart of Udupi is undoubtedly the Krishna temple complex. It comprises of, in addition to the main temple, two other historic temples - Anantheshwara and Chandramouleshwara, all connected by the Ratha beedi or "chariot street", so called because on festive occasions such as the "Paryaya", the deity is taken in procession in temple chariots. The chariots themselves are usually stationed at Ratha beedi.

In addition to propounding a philosophy and performing miracles, Madhvacharya also established a monastic order with eight main monasteries (or "mutts"). All around the Ratha beedi are the eight mutts (ashtamathas).

20th century additions to the area are the Gita Mandira and the Rajangana, where cultural programmes and discourses held, a short walk away. The Ratha Beedi is also a shopping street.





Do
Udupi has some great beaches, but thankfully, they aren't big water sports destinations like Goa, though there are some options. If you are the adventurous sort, you can head south to Mulki, Mangalore where the Ashram surf retreat combines surfing with spiritualism.

If the mountains are what you are after, turn east to Karkala, where Agumbe and other places provide some excellent trekking opportunities.

For a cultural experience, try to catch a performance of Yakshagana, a Bhoota Kola or a Naga Mandala. The latter two are essentially religious rituals, but a sight to watch. The Yakshagana is a genre of dance-drama that is native to the Karavali region. The performances are advertised only in local Kannada newspapers, so it might be somewhat difficult to catch them. Also, to fully appreciate Yakshagana, you need to understand Kannada or Tulu.



Buy
While Udupi, like any other city of moderate size, offers many opportunities to shop, and the Ratha Beedi area around the temple is a popular and interesting destination to buy what the city is best known for. Most people who visit the temple combine their religious sojourn with a shopping expedition. On festive occasions, the area around the Krishna temple comes abuzz with many temporary shops set up for the occasion.

Befitting Udupi's status as a culinary paradise, many of the items on the must-shop list at Ratha Beedi are culinary. Snacks and juice extracts top the list. Spices and oils used in traditional Udupi cooking can also be bought here. Shops that sell vessels and other implements used to prepare Udupi-style cuisine are scattered all over the street. Among these are aluminium pans to make guliyappa and the aruvamane used to scrape coconuts.

Other items to look out for are wood handicraft items such as agarbatti stands, idols of deities, and altars. This is also a good place to buy Ayurvedic medicines and massage oils.


 * Saaru powder (Saarina Hudi), Sambhar powder part of world famous Udupi cuisine and Coconut oil.
 * Pickles made from Mango, Lemon and different vegetables.
 * Cotton wicks (Bathi) used to light lamp in front of Gods, Incense sticks (Udinabathi) and other Pooja /Japa/ Homa /Havan related items at Car street (Ratha beedi) near to Krishna Matha at Udupi city.
 * Happala (Pappad) and Sandige made from Black gram (Uddu), Horse gram (Huruli), Sweet potato (Genasu) and  Jack fruit (Halasina hannu).
 * Sweets and savouries

Clothing, particularly silk sarees but also other traditional Indian and western dresses, and jewellery are the other two big items that are on many visitors' shopping lists in Udupi.

Clothing
For your saree/dress purchases:

Jewellery
Udupi is famous for traditional jewellery. Famous jewellers are:

Snacks and packaged food
You can also buy traditional packaged food here. Wheat halwa and banana halwa that is made up of ghee and banana chips are well-known local specialities. Mango pickles from here are great as well. Purchase these items from any local store. Enquire in any of these local stores for other local coastal delicacies.

Udupi cuisine
The vegetarian cuisine of Udupi is famous all over India and among Indians abroad. For this reputation, it must thank the Sri Krishna temple and its traditions. The temple offers free food to everyone who wants to partake of it. The cooks have traditionally been the Brahmins belonging to the Shivalli sect, who, over the centuries, have perfected the art of cooking that adheres to "Satvik" principles. This requires not just vegetarianism but also the avoidance of onion and garlic, as these are said to excite the baser senses. In spite of these limitations, the food of Udupi tastes great, with subtle flavours.

While the eat section of the Karavali article more than adequately covers the cuisine you are likely to encounter here, Udupi has some items of food that are unique to the place. One of them is the matti gulla (see infobox) a variant of eggplant. Ibbulle, a kind of musk melon is a speciality here. The best way to consume it is by turning it into rasayana, a kind of thick, pulpy juice. Ibbulle is such a localized fruit that there are people who've lived in Mangalore all their lives and have never heard of the fruit. Then there is hayagreeva maddi a sweet made of chickpea, coconut and jaggery that is offered as prasadam to Hayagreeva (see infobox). Golibaje, a traditional fried snack item made from maida (all-purpose flour) and yoghurt, is another speciality of Udupi. Also, try out the "charmuri upkari", a famous snack from the handcarts around Rathabeedi. The ginger soda is a famous drink available in many local shops.

Meat-eaters will not be disappointed in Udupi either. Do not forget to try the famous non-veg dishes kori sukha (chicken in spicy masala with grated coconut), kori rotti (chicken curry with crisp rice roti). Seafood here is great as well. Some common local fish are bangude fish and king fish. Definitely try the bangude tawa fry or the fish thali which is available at many restaurants.

At Malpe beach, visit the fish fry shop just outside the beach. Prices start from ₹30. .

If you are looking for international cuisines, Manipal is the place to go to.

Drink
It is fair to say that Udupi, being a temple town, is not a great place to have alcoholic drinks, and this sleepy town is not known for a vibrant night life. Manipal, however, is a short hop away from the city centre, famous for its student population, and this is where you go if you want a drink.

You can try the unfermented toddy which is extracted early morning from coconut trees. This can usually be found near the beaches. Be very very careful about the quality and safety, however.



Sleep
Hotels are reasonably priced and cheap. Most hotels are concentrated around the city centre and the temple. The other option is to look for a hotel near Manipal, which is more expensive. The Paradise Island Beach Resort (see under "Do") is an option if you are looking for a beach holiday.There are many Chatra's or Choultry's in and around Shri Krishna Matha, Birla Chatra(Telephone :0820-2521624),Krishna Dhama (Telephone:0820-2522679), Vidya Samudra Choultry( Telephone:0820-2520820), Bhuvaraha guest house(Telephone:0820-2525150),Adhokshaja Mandira(0820-2524178),Vijayadwaja (Telephone:0820-2521328).

Go next
To the west of Udupi lies the historic town of Karkala, which is a major religious centre for Jainism. There stands a 42-feet statue of the saint Bahubali (known as Gomateshwara), completely naked, as is the custom. At Moodabidri in Dakshina Kannada district, there is a Jain temple with thousand pillars (saavira kambada basadi).

There are many Hindu religious sites in the neighbourhood of Udupi. At Kollur in Byndoor taluk, there is a famous temple dedicated to the Goddess Mookambika.Further north is Uttara Kannada, home to many nice beaches like the Murudeshwar beach, around 150 km away, and Gokarna beach, around 250 km away. North of Uttara Kannada is Goa, which is around 5 hours by car.

Other attractions
 * Hanging Bridge (Suspension Bridge) - around 15 km from Udupi near Kemmannu (Thonse). The best to visit is 5PM. The place is near Kemmannu.
 * Kudlu Theertha - a trek amidst the forest to the waterfall on the way to Agumbe via Hebri.
 * Barkur
 * Sirsi
 * Karwar
 * Horanadu