Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka– ...

and about west of state capital

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

by road. It is the administrative headquarters of

Udupi district Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven talu ...

, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka and has various educational institutions. It is notable for the Krishna Temple and is also known as the temple city. It also lends its name to the popular Udupi cuisine, is also known as Parashurama Kshetra , and is famous for Kanakana kindi. A centre of pilgrimage, Udupi is known as Rajata Peetha and Shivalli (Shivabelle).

Etymology

The name ''Udupi'' is the stylized form of the city.

History

In the 13th century,

Vaishnavite Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as th ...

saint

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...

founded the Sri Krishna Temple. He set up eight ''

matha A ''matha'' (; sa, मठ, ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

s'' - Ashta Mathas- In

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

- ಅಷ್ಟ ಮಠಗಳು in Udupi to propagate the

Dvaita Vedanta Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta s ...

philosophy, and this caused a vibrant temple culture to take root in present-day

. Significant migration of

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

s to the region took place subsequently, and they came to comprise 10 per cent of the region's population, three times higher than elsewhere in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

.Chinmay Tumbe, ''India Moving: A History of Migration'' (2019), p.42

Demographics

Udupi city is part of the eponymous district in Karnataka, India. As per the census in 2011, Udupi city has 33,987 households and a total population of 144,960, of which 71,614 are males and 73,346 are females. The population of scheduled castes is 8,385 while that of scheduled tribes is 6,774. The city population is growing at a rate of 14.03%. The most spoken language in Udupi town is

Tulu Tulu may refer to: People *Derartu Tulu (born 1972), Ethiopian long-distance runner *Walid Yacoubou (born 1997), Togolese footballer nicknamed "Tulu" India *Tulu calendar, traditional solar calendar generally used in the regions of southwest Kar ...

and Konkani are also spoken in Udupi town. Dakhini

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Beary The Beary (also known as Byari) is a community concentrated along the southwest coast of India, mostly in the Mangalore district of the south Indian state of Karnataka. They are an ethnic group of Indian Muslims with their own distinct cu ...

are spoken by

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

in the region.

Government and politics

Udupi city falls under the Udupi Chikmagalur

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

constituency and the Udupi Chikmagalur State assembly constituency and is represented by the Member of Parliament Shobha Karandlaje and Member of Legislative Assembly, K Raghupathi Bhat.

Civic Administration

Udupi, which previously had a Town Municipal Council now has a City Municipal Council which came into existence in 1995. Areas around Udupi, such as Manipal, Parkala, Malpe, Udyavara and Santhekatte were merged to form the City Municipal Council. The city of Udupi is governed by the City Municipal Council and has 35 wards spread across an area of . It is headed by Anand C Kallolikar, the Municipal Commissioner. The city council has departments for health, urban planning, technical division, revenue, finance, birth and death, and Day-NULM.

Civic Utility

Th
masterplan
of the city is prepared by the Udupi Urban Development Authority (UUDA) and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning. The city receives its primary source of drinking water from water stored at Baje vented dam. The municipality also seeks to augment its water storage by pumping water accumulated in the Swarna River at Sanebettu. The city is divided into three zones with different timings for efficient water supply. It also received a loan of $75 million from the Asian Development Bank to have all round the clock water supply in 2018. The city has both open and closed drains. The underground sewage network exists in only 20% of the city's area as of 2017, but has been proposed to increase from the present 82 kilometres to 143 kilometres. The municipality area generated 46 million litres (MLD) of sewage which is treated at a

sewage treatment plant Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding en ...

in Nittur.

Geography and climate

Udupi has an elevation of above mean sea level. The climate in Udupi is hot in summers and pleasant in winter. During summers (from March to May) the temperature reaches up to and in winters (from December to February) it is usually between . As it is a coastal area, there are a few beaches which are tourist attractions. Kaup beach, Malpe beach are two of the beaches in Udupi. The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

period is from June to September, with rainfall averaging more than every year and heavy winds.

Culture

Bhuta Kola,

Aati kalenja Aati Kalenja is an ancient traditional folk art form practiced by Tulu people from the region of Tulu Nadu, India which is believed to bring prosperity during Aati which is one of the months in Tulu calendar. It normally comes in the months of Ju ...

, Karangolu, and Nagaradhane are some cultural traditions of Udupi. The residents celebrate festivals such as

Makara Sankranti Makar(a) Sankranti (), also referred to as Uttarayana, Maghi, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sa ...

, Nagara Panchami,

Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi ( ISO: ), also known as Vinayak Chaturthi (), or Ganeshotsav () is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes and ...

Navaratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

, Deepavali. Folk arts like Yakshagana are also popular. Rathabeedhi Geleyaru and Kalavrinda are local non-profit organisations, founded to encourage creative pursuits, especially those that keep alive the traditions of the region. Its primary focus has been historical dramas. During Krishna Janmashtami,

Pili Yesa Pili Vesha in ('' Tulu'': ಪಿಲಿ ಏಸ) "Tiger Masque" is a folk dance unique in coastal Karnataka. Pilivēṣa is performed during Navratri to honour the Goddess Durga whose favoured animal is the tiger. Which is called mārnemi. Mangal ...

, a traditional folk dance originated in Udupi is demonstrated on the streets. "Pili Yesa" translates to Tiger.

Cuisine

The term ''Udupi'' (also ''Udipi'') is synonymous with vegetarian food now found all over the world. The origin of this cuisine is linked to Krishna Matha (Mutt). Lord Krishna is offered food of different varieties every day, and there are certain restrictions on ingredients during Chaturmasa (a four-month period during the monsoon season). These restrictions coupled with the requirement of variety led to innovation, especially in dishes incorporating seasonal and locally available materials. This cuisine was developed by

Shivalli The Shivalli Brahmins are a Hindu community in Karnataka. They are divided into two groups, the first of which follows the Dvaita philosophy founded by the Vaishnava saint Madhvacharya of Udupi are called Shivalli Madhva Brahmins, and the secon ...

Madhwa Brahmins who cooked food for Lord Krishna, and at Krishna Matha in Udupi, the food is provided free of cost. Restaurants specialised in Udupi cuisine can be seen widely in most metropolitan and large cities around the length and breadth of India. Although popular for its vegetarian cuisine, Udupi has its fair share of non-vegetarian dishes that are similar to Mangalorean cuisine. Some of these include Kori Roti, Neer Dosa, Kori Pulimunchi, Chicken Sukka, Fish Curry, Fish Fry and more.

Economy

Udupi is becoming a major town in Karnataka. Udupi is the birthplace of the Syndicate Bank,

Corporation Bank Corporation Bank was a public-sector banking company headquartered in Mangalore, India. The bank had a pan-Indian presence. Presently, the bank has a network of 2,432 fully automated CBS branches, 3,040 ATMs, and 4,724 branchless banking uni ...

and Harsha Retail, the leading retailer of coastal Karnataka. Udupi's economy also consists of agriculture and fishing. Small-scale industries like the cashew industry, and other food industries and milk cooperatives are the most prominent. Recently, Udupi is also making its mark in the real estate industry, greatly influenced by its neighboring spearhead

. The

government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Cogentrix Light and Power Industry to set up a thermal power plant in the district at

Nandikur Nandicoor (variously Nandikur or Nandikoor) is a village in Udupi district of Karnataka state in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second ...

. However, because of stiff opposition from citizens and environmentalist groups, the project has been temporarily suspended. An attempt by the Nagarjuna Power Corporation to set up a similar plant at nearby

Padubidri Padubidri or Padubidre or Padubedre in Tulu language is a small town in coastal district of Udupi in Karnataka state, India. Padubidri is on the way from Udupi to Mangalore route. National Highway 17 (now NH 66) passes through Padubidri. Padubid ...

also met strong opposition. Now, the power plant has been set up, generating 1,200 MW of power under the name of Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), a subsidiary of Lanco Infra, an Andhra Pradesh-based infrastructure major.

Adani Power Adani Power is an Indian power and energy company. A subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Adani Group with head office at Khodiyar in Ahmedabad, it is a private thermal power producer, with a capacity of 12,450 MW that operates a mega solar plant ...

has taken over from Lanco Infra in 2014 for a sum of Rs 6,000 crores. The opposition, however, continues. Manipal, a suburb of Udupi, is home to the headquarters of Syndicate Bank. It is renowned as an education and medical hub.

Kasturba Medical College Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in coastal Karnataka, India, established in 1953.MIT (Manipal Institute of Technology) are situated here. TEBMA Shipyards Ltd is located in Malpe harbour complex. It is involved in building multipurpose platform supply vessels (MPSVs), platform supply vessel, geotechnical research vessel, dredgers and tugs for Indian as well as export markets. Udupi has a local handloom

sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...

industry. Made of pure cotton and lightweight, the sari has art silk design on its border and pallu besides butta of art silk dotting it. Hard work, low returns, and competition from power loom has led to a drop in the number of weavers of nearly 95% over three decades. A

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

tag for Udupi sarees is under examination with the Geographical Indications Registry of India.

Transport

National Highways

NH 66 National Highway 66, commonly referred to as NH 66 (erstwhile NH-17 and a part of NH-47), is a mostly 4 lane long busy National Highway that runs roughly north–south along the western coast of India, parallel to the Western Ghats. It con ...

and NH 169A pass through Udupi. Other significant roads include the State Highways to Karkala,

Dharmastala Dharmasthala (earlier known as Kuduma) is an Indian temple town on the banks of the Nethravathi River in the Belthangady taluk of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, India. The town is known for its centuries old Dharmasthala Temp ...

and

Sringeri Sringeri (IAST: Śṛngēri) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the site of the first maṭha ( Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetham) establis ...

. NH 66 provides a link to

and

Karwar Karwar is a seaside city, ''taluka'', and administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district lying at the mouth of the Kali river on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state, India. Karwar is a popular tourist destination and with a city urba ...

via

Kundapur Kundapur, also called Kundapura, is a coastal town situated in the Udupi district of the state of Karnataka, India. This town was known as Coondapoor while it was part of the erstwhile South Canara district (1862–1947) of the Madras Pr ...

and NH 169A to

Hebri Hebri is a town and taluk headquarters in the Udupi district of Karnataka, at the foot of the Western Ghats of India in Karnataka state. It was first inaugurated as a taluk in 2018. It is a main junction and a central point of roads leading to ...

, Agumbe, Thirthahalli and Shivamogga. Private as well as government buses connect Udupi to all parts of

. Udupi has a railway station on the

Konkan Railway The Konkan Railway (abbreviated KR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India with its headquarters at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The first passenger train ran on Konkan railway tracks on 20 March 1993, between Udupi and ...

. The nearest International Airport to Udupi is

Mangalore International Airport Mangalore International Airport , is an international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore, India. It is one of the only two international airports in Karnataka, the other being Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore. Mangalo ...

, which is approx. 58.5 km away. City and suburban transport is available for travel within Udupi and its suburbs. The buses originate from the suburban bus stand (City Bus Stand). There are private bus operators as well as KSRTC city service buses. The nearest harbor/ port to Udupi is

Malpe Malpe is a natural port in the Udupi District in Karnataka, India. Located at the mouth of the Malpe River about six kilometers to the west of Udupi, it is an important port and a major fishing harbor on the Karnataka coast. The town of Malpe i ...

, which is 5 km away, and

Gangolli Gangolli (also Ganguli) is a village in Kundapur Taluk of Udupi district in Karnataka state. It is situated at the estuary of the Panchagangavalli River. It is located on a peninsula on the west coast of Karnataka. It is bordered by the river ...

( Byndoor), which is 36 km away. The

New Mangalore Port New Mangalore Port is a small water af, all-weather port at Panambur, Mangalore in Karnataka state in India, which is the deepest inner harbour on the west coast. It is the only major port of Karnataka and the seventh largest port in India. I ...

is 50 km away from Udupi.

Udupi railway station Udupi railway station is a railway station in Udupi district, Karnataka. Its code is UD. It serves the pilgrims visiting famous Krishna Matha (Krishna Temple) at Udupi and the university town of Manipal, which is south from the station and Udupi. ...

is managed by Konkan Railways. It is in Indrali about 4 km from Udupi city bus stand and is on the Kanyakumari-

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

rail route. Direct trains are available to

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known a ...

, Rajkot,

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...

and Okha. Cities like

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude o ...

Belgaum Belgaum ( ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city ...

(Quilon), etc., are also connected to Udupi.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *''Karnataka State Gazetteer 1983. Government of Karnataka. 1983 * * *
Sri Udupi Kshetrada Naija Chitra Mattu Chaaritrika Hinnele [The Authentic Picture of Udupi Piligrim Center and its Historical Background
/nowiki>]

External links

Udupi City Municipality Official WebsiteUdupi Urban Development Authority Official WebsiteSri Udupi Kshetrada Naija Chitra Mattu Chaaritrika Hinnele [The Authentic Picture of Udupi Piligrim Center and its Historical Background
/nowiki>] {{Udupi District Udupi, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2001 All articles containing potentially dated statements Cities and towns in Udupi district Populated coastal places in India Port cities in India Cities in Karnataka