Udupi, Karnataka – A land of eternal beauty placed between Western Ghat mountains & Arabian Sea

Udupi a land of eternal beauty, perches in the midst of the verdant mountains of the western ghats on the east and the vast, tranquil Arabian Sea on the west. This new district, carved out of the erstwhile Dakshina Kannada, which was more accurately called “Parashurama Srishti”, encapsulates the vast cultural heritage. The site is well known for its religious fervour and vivid cultural heritage. Known elsewhere as a Temple City Udupi is the birth place of the famous south Indian food Dosa. It never ceases to enchant visitors from length and breadth of the country and the world over.

Places to see in Udupi: Being a temple city Udupi has a rich religious fervor, where a number of pilgrims throng every year. The temples located there are;

Sri Krishna Temple

Udupi acquired nation-wide fame, when it was turned into a unique seat of Vedantic learning in the 13th century under the leadership of Sri Madhvacharya. Apart from his contributions to Vedantic philosophy, Sri Madhva founded the famous Krishna Temple of Udupi and made it the fountain-head of a new devotional movement, which eventually spread all over the country. Udupi acquired nation-wide fame, when it was turned into a unique seat of Vedantic learning in the 13th century under the leadership of Sri Madhvacharya. Apart from his contributions to Vedantic philosophy, Sri Madhva founded the famous Krishna Temple of Udupi and made it the fountain-head of a new devotional movement, which eventually spread all over the country. Madhva installed the image of Krishna with the fixed principle of removing all obstacles and relieving the pains, which beset His devotees on their way to salvation. Among the several disciples of Sri Madhva, eight monks were jointly and severally made responsible for conducting the daily worship of Lord Krishna at Udupi, besides the usual duties of monk hood. These eight direct disciples of Madhva established separate lines of their own by ordination, and these eight lines of ascetics came to be known as the Eight Maths or Ashta Math of Udupi.

Malpe Beach

About four kms to the west of Udupi, Malpe is an important port of the Karnataka coast. It is situated at the mouth of the Malpe/Udyavara River. The river is navigable to small cargo boats for about ten kms during high tide. The place has fascinating natural scenic view. It has been a centre of commercial activities for a long time, and one plus point is that it is a natural port.

St. Mary’s Island

St. Mary’s Isles 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 SouthSea 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.

Planetarium 

One can gaze at the stars from here even at daytime. This is the second planetarium in the state of Karnataka.

Varanga

This is a well known Jain pilgrim center. One chaturmukha basadi is in the midst of a pond. There is one Jain mutt and another basadi.

Jomlu Teertha

On Ellu amavasya (an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar) day, people come to this place and bathe in the waterfalls. This year, more than 10,000 people bathed on the holy day. Having natural beauty, this place is a well-known picnic spot.

Nearby attractions from Udupi: While visiting Udupi also include in your itinerary some excursions to nearby destinations like

Karkala

Karkala situated about 35 Kms from Udupi, is the headquarters of the Karkala Taluk. About 52 kms northeast of Mangalore, Karkala is known primarily for the statue of Lord Bahubali (Gomateshwara).

Things to do in Udupi: Visiting Udupi is a complete package tour where you will get a chance to take the pleasure of all sorts of activities like enjoying the various water sports like Rafting, Para sailing etc. Savour the unique south Indian dishes like  ‘Golibaje, ‘Dosa’ ,’Idli’, and ‘Medu Wada’ with ‘Sambar’ and ‘Coconut Chutney’. A hub of art and culture in Udupi don’t miss the folk dance performances like Yakshagana, Nagamandala, and Siri Jatre, a religious dance portray the extent of a devotees faith towards the Lord.

Best time to visit Udupi: The best time to visit Udupi is the winter season when the weather remains pleasant.

How to go ?

By Air

The fastest way to reach Udupi from Bangalore takes you 3h 05m, which is to take Air India Express flight from Bangalore to Mangalore then take Bus or Taxi from Mangalore to Udupi.

By Train

There is one direct train from Bangalore to Udupi. This train is Ypr Kawr Expres (16515) etc. The minimum time a train takes to reach Udupi from Bangalore is 11h 44m. 

By Road

From Mangalore, Buses or Taxis are available for Udupi.

Where to stay ?

Udupi has abundant accommodation facilities suitable to budgets.

Hotel Sriram Residency: +91-0 820- 2530761, 2530762, 2530763, 2530764  Website:  www.hotelsriramresidency.com
Hotel Rukmini Residency: +91-0820-2523901  Website: www.rukminiresidency.com
Kalpana Residency Lodges: +91- 0820-2520440
Siddharth Hotel: +91- 0820-2536738

Note:  Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.