Vasu's Travel Blogs: Udupi - An Unexplored Gem

Udupi is a charming little town located in southern Karnataka along the Konkan coast. Most of us are familiar with the ubiquitous Udupi restaurants and cafes spread all across the world dishing out piping hot Dosas and Idlys but not many know what Udupi has to offer as a holiday destination.

Backwaters, renowned temples, pristine beaches and the famed educational institutions in Manipal (which is around 5 kms from Udupi) and the lip smacking food is what one is treated to in this idyllic town.

Temples

Udupi is home to several temples but the most famous is the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. The cheerful atmosphere around the temple accentuated by the songs and dances of the devout is something that one must experience. Locally, the temple is known as Sri Krishna Mutta. A number of other Muttas namely Pejavar Mutta, Kaniyoor Mutta, Palimaru Mutta, Adamaru Mutta, Puttige Mutta, Sodhe Mutt and Krishna Pura Mutta are situated close to the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. Each Mutta is headed by a Swamy and all the Swamies serve Lord Krishna in a time bound manner. For instance, if the Swamy of Pejavar Mutta takes up the responsibility of serving the Lord in 2015 he relinquishes his duties after 2 years and passes the responsibility to a Swamy of another Mutta. A grand ceremony called Paryaya is held to commemorate this event.

Udupi Sri Krishna Temple

Bathing Ghat at Krishna Temple

Kannarpadi Jaya Durga Parameshwari Temple and Ambalpady Mahadevi Temple are the other renowned temples in Udupi town. There are a number of temples within 100-200 kilometers from Udupi. The most famous are:

Dharmasthal Manjunath Temple, Dharmasthal
Kollur Mookambika Temple, Kollur
Vinayaka Temple at Anegudde
Kukke Subhramanya Swamy Temple near Mangalore

Backwaters

Udupi town is surrounded by surreal backwaters, which are a visual delight. Unlike the backwaters in Kerala, there are no house boats here, hence one is treated to miles of calm, clean waters and occasional fishing boats.

Backwaters Near Kallianpur Village

Coconut trees on the banks of the backwaters add to their charm.

Beaches

Udupi town will not disappoint a water sports fan. Malpe beach (around 10 kms from Udupi) is not only clean and tidy but also offers a number of water sports such as paragliding, water scooters and boating. If you are not an avid fan of water sports just sit back and relax on the golden sands of the beach and enjoy the sunset.

Malpe Beach

55 kilometers north of Udupi is a spectacular beach known as Maravanthe. This beach is just beside the national highway that connects Panvel to Edapally and offers a brilliant view while you drive across it. The main attraction of this beach is that a river flows opposite to the beach separated by the highway. So, on one side of your window you will see a river and on the other side you will see the beach.

Marvanthe Beach