Udupi District

Udupi is a town and the headquarters of the Udupi District in the Indian state of Karnataka . Udupi is famous for the Krishna temple located here. It also lends its name to the Udupi cuisine .

It is widely believed that the name of Udupi was derived from its Tulu name Odipu . The Tulu name in turn is associated with a temple at Malpe , devoted to Odabhaandeeshvara. Another story is that the name Udupi came from the combination of the Sanskrit words Udu and Pa , which mean "stars" and "lord." According to legend, the moon's light was once reduced due to a curse by King Daksha, whose 27 daughters (the 27 stars, according to Hindu astrology) were married to the moon. The moon prayed to Lord Shiva to get back its original shine. Lord Shiva was pleased with the moon's prayer and restored its shine. Legend says that the moon and his wives made their prayer at the Chandramouleeshwara temple at Udupi, creating a linga that can be seen even today. According to this story, therefore, Udupi means the land of the "lord of the stars," the moon.
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Tourist attractions

Kadiyali Temple

Legend has it that Kadiyali was formerly known as Kadehalli (the farthest village) and was a part of what was known as Shivalli. According to the folklore of Tulunadu, King Rama Bhoja wanted to perform the Putrakamesti Yaga so that he would be blessed with a son. In the course of the preparation for the yaga, when the ground was being ploughed, a sacred Naga (cobra) got entangled in the plough and was killed. To vindicate himself from the sin of killing the sacred Naga, the king consecrated a Shiva Linga, which combined the divine presence of Vishnu in the form of Lord Sheshashayee.

This temple came to be known as the Ananteshwara temple, which is just near the Krishna temple. Simultaneously, the king also established four Durga temples around the Ananteshwara temple. The Kadiyali Mahishamardini temple is one among them. There are several other lores surrounding the temple but the above one is the most popular of them all.

Sri Krishna temple.

Udupi is a divine shrine in the coastal region of Western Ghats . Situated about 60 kms from Mangalore, it is a fairly large and upcoming town that was sanctum of Madhvacharya, the great Sanskrit Philosopher. The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels. It is the center for education, social and religious activities in the district of South Canara. It is known for the famous Sri Krishna temple. The reasons for its fame are the statue of Sri Krishna installed by the great saint Sri Madhvacharya and the penance and influence of Sri Vaadiraja yathivarenya. Another attraction of this temple is the 'Kanakana Kindi' -a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa .

Sri Mahalingeshwara Mahaganapathi Temple , Padubidri .

Padubidre (Padu Bidadi), a sacred place with a number of Temples and shrines, is famous for holding Dhakke Bali once in two years. The Mahalingeshwara Mahaganapathi Temple of Padubidri is well known in the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. Padubidri is located on National Highway 17, 24 kilometres from Udupi and 35 kilometres from Mangalore.

Malpe Beach

Malpe town is about four kms. to the west of Udupi. It is the most important port of the Karnataka coast and is situated at the mouth of the Malpe or Udyavara river. The river is navigable to small cargo boats for about ten kms during high tide. The place has a fascinating natural scenery, and has been a centre of commercial activities for a long time. It is a natural port. There are three rocky islands to the west of it.

St. Mary's Island

St. Mary's Isles (Latitude 13 ? 20' 60" N; Longitude 74 ? 40' 60" E ) are a group of small islands lying a little to the north of the port of Malpe 7 kms form Udupi. Vasco-da-Gama landed in 1498 on one of these islands which he called `EI Padron de Santa Maria '. It is from this that these islands got their present name. They are just a few scattered projections of rock rising out of the western or Arabian Sea around Malpe.

The northern-most island is about a square mile in area and not more than 250 yards in width. It has coconut gardens which make it the shadiest of all the islands and give it a true South Sea colour. The island is noted for its famous basalt rocks which Kulkunda, where a large cattle fair is held at the time of the have crystallized into columns and split into hexagonal mosaic. Perhaps, this is the only spot in India where basaltic rocks show up such peculiar formation.It is a really geological monument and tourists heaven.

Places to see in Udupi District

Beaches

•  Malpe: About 6 km from Udupi town, Malpe is an important fishing and trading harbour.

•  St. Mary's Island:An island on the Arabian Sea near to Malpe

•  Kaup (pronounced "Ka-Aap"): About 12 km from Udupi with a beach and a lighthouse

•  Maravanthe: About 42 km from Udupi. The NH-17 is flanked on the left side by the Arabian Sea and on the right side by the Souwparnika River . However, due to continuous sea erosion, the Arabian Sea has come dangerously close to the NH-17.Still the road exists miraculously between sea and river and after this spot, river makes a U turn and goes eastwards and meets sea at Kundapura, after a journey of about 10 km.

•  byndoor beach is well known for its beautiful sun set, and we can see the sun set from the ib . all facilities are available for tourists. we can also see the mountain view from watch tower(100m high, around 400 meters above sea level )

Religious Places

•  Udupi Shree Krishna Temple .

•  Pajaka: About 12 km from Udupi. This is the place where Madhvacharya preached his Dvaita philosophy.

•  Kollur: About 74 km from Udupi, nestled among the Western Ghats . It is considered the abode of Goddess Mookambika and attracts tourists from Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

•  Karkala: About 37 km from Udupi. Jain basadis (temples) and Gomateshwara (giant statues) are notable features.Other important places are Padutirupathi Sri Venkataramana Temple,Attur St.Lawrence Church,Sri Hosamarigudi Temple,Sri Ucchanggi Mariamma Temple,Sri Ananthapadmanabha Temple,Sri Padmavathi Temple, Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple, Sri Siddhivinayaka Temple, Sri Umamaheshwara Temple and Salmar Jama Masjid.

•  Milagres Church : About 7 km from Udupi. This ancient church withstood the onslaught of a marauding Tippu Sultan.

•  Anegudde: About 30 km from Udupi. Famous for the temple of Lord Ganesha .

•  Attur Church : About 25 km from Udupi. Famous for its yearly fair, attended by people from all religious groups.

•  Barkur: About 15 km from Udupi. The erstwhile capital of historical Tulu Nadu, Barkur is dotted with temples and Jaina basadis.

•  Saligrama : About 27 km from Udupi, with a Lord Guru Narasimha swami temple.

•  Pernankila : There is a Ganapathi temple in this village.

Wildlife Sanctuaries

•  Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary: About 40 km from Udupi. It contains rare species of animals, birds and medicinal plants.

•  Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary: About 50 km from Udupi. Spread along the Kundapur-Kollur road, this sanctuary is generally off the tourist map.

•  Shirva Pilar khan Bird Sanctuary: About 03 km from Shirva

Waterfalls

•  Kudlu Theertha Falls : About 42 km from Udupi. A waterfall located deep in the jungles of Western Ghats , close to Hebri town.This is a beautiful water fall in any standards, and may become very weak during Feb-May. With a height of about 300 feet, it falls directly into a pond which is considered holy by local people, because, sages meditated here thousands of years ago. There is one more water fall above Kudlu theertha, called Manga theertha (monkey theertha) named so because, only monkey can reach it as the path is very steep inside the forest.

•  Barkana Falls : About 54 km from Udupi. Located in the Western Ghats at the junction of Udupi, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts, the falls are a 45-minute walk from the Udupi-Shimoga state highway.

•  Belkal Theertha Falls : About 50 km from Udupi. Cascading waterfalls, located deep in the Western Ghats . This falls is about 400 feet and there will be no water during Feb-May.

•  Arasina Gundi, near Dali village off Kollur, is a beautiful waterfall within the forest.

•  Jomlu Theertha :Near Belve village about 35 km from Udupi[1], a small water fall about 20 feet height created by River Seethanadi. This is second water fall of this river, first one being Kudlu Theertha.

•  Kosalli Water falls near Byndoor, Kundapur Taluk is a beautiful spot situated at the northern boundary of the district.

River Islands

The rivers Swarna, Chakra, Sita, Netravati, Varahi and Kubja contain beautiful and often unexplored river islands. Called Kudrus, some of the islands are inhabited but lack basic facilities such as drinking water, electricity and transport. Examples of the islands include Skool Kudru, Kannada Kudru, Katte Kudru, and Shetty Kudru.

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Tourist offices:-	KSTDC (bookings and info) Badami House, NR Square, Bangalore Tel: 080-2275869, Fax: 2352626 Email: kstdc@vsnl.in
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