Kodavooru is a small town belonging to the temple city of Udupi in Karnataka, India. Home to Lord Shankaranarayana Temple and many other small sacred Hindu temples, it has a long history of its own.

History

Legend has it that Kroda Muni, a Hindu saint, had his ashram here and was doing 'thapassu' here for the good of the world, thus the name Krodasharama, which then converted into Kodavooru.

Nature and landscape

Being a typical coastal town, it is surrounded by

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

trees and paddy fields which contribute to its fine appearance during the monsoon.

Tourism

*Kodavooru is just a kilometer away from Malpe, a Karnataka coastal tourist delight, with a beautiful beach and St. Mary's Island. * People can also visit the Temples in Belkale, Keremata, Kambalakatte, Mandechavadi and Kanangi Mutt. *Apart from the above attractions, Kodavooru contributes to the cultural richness of the city of Udupi in having its own traditional

Bharatanatya Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

school known a
NRITYA NIKETANA.
Dance enthusiasts from various parts of the world visit this institute in order to learn Bharatanatya.

Culture

* Belonging to the culturally rich district of Udupi, Kodavooru features a variety of arts and cultural events. * Yakshagana is a popular form of musical dramatic art which is enjoyed here. Kodavooru is home to many prominent yakshagana artists. * Hulivesha kunitha, when performers paint their bodies with tiger stripes and dance to popular Sandalwood Kannada tunes, is one of the most exciting moments one can experience during the days of

Krishna Janmaashtami 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 ...

, ''(the Birthday Of Lord Krishna)'' * Kodavooru is also a very significant place for believers of

Dvaita 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 su ...

, the system of philosophy founded by Shree Madhvacharya. According to a traditional story,Biographies of Great Indians
/ref> Shree Madhva visited Kodavooru to pray to Lord Shankaranarayana when he was just three years old.

Important events

*The annual car festival of Lord Shankaranarayana. (It is performed for 9 days and consists of the Rathotsava i.e. the Chariot seve, Pooje furformed under different Ashwatha Trees in different places of the village of Kattepooje. This is the only time Lord Shankaranarayana is brought out of the temple to the devotee's house. The Lord is carried in the Silver Pallakki and is taken to the devotee's home.) *Lakshadeepothsava (This is the pooje in which the temple as well as the temple street is filled with the Deepa.) *This temple is also dedicated to the god like Ganapathi. (There are two Ganapathis, one inside the temple and one near the river which flows behind the temple, popularly known as "Tudekatte ganapathi" in Tulu, Durgamata, Lord shiva, Raghavendra mata, Nagabana, Brahmadeva, Nandi. A unique feature of this temple town of Udupi is that all the temples have only one nandi. Kodavooru temple is the only temple which has two nandis. So, beside the car festival of Lord Shankaranarayana, all the Festivals such as Ganesha Chauti (Gana homa's), Navaratri (especially Cahndika homa's) are performed here. *Maari pooje, which occurs more than twelve times in a year out of that Big Maari Pooje occurs twice a year, is also an interesting ritual which attracts a large number of devotees around the town.

Language

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 ...

are the most widely spoken languages along with English. However, Kannada is the official language of the state.

Industry

Being a small town, it depends on agriculture as the main source of income. A considerable number of people here also rely on the fisheries which are supplied by the fishing harbour at the nearby town of Malpe. Beedi (a type of cigarette) Industries and Milk Producers Unions contribute a considerable degree of industry to the city.

Transportation

Kodavooru has reliable public transportation with buses connecting from places like Garadimajalu, Santhekatte to Udupi and Malpe.

Banking and finance

Canara Bank Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank under the control and ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, the bank also has offices in London, Dubai and New York. Hist ...

- Kodavooru Branch and Kodavooru Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangha (a co-operative) bank operate here.

Schools and colleges

While Kodavooru does have a primary school, residents have to depend on nearby Malpe, Udupi or

Kallianpur Kallianpur (previously anglicised as Calliampore) is a hamlet of Tonse East village about six km from Udupi. It is a developed with all modern amenities like schools, college, hospital, good transport and communication facilities. The people ...

for higher education.

References

Cities and towns in Udupi district {{Udupi-geo-stub