Sri Krishna Temple

Introduction to Sri Krishna Temple

Sri Krishna Temple is a prominent Vaishnavite temple, located in Udupi, Karnataka. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. “Udupi Shri Krishna Matha” is one of the religious centers and is the hermitage for several Vaishnava sages. Here, Lord Krishna is worshipped as a child and is adorned with several jewels. The chariot of this temple is also very unique and draws the attraction of the crowd. The temple feeds a lot of devotees, and is considered as the “Maha Prasada”.

Legend of Sri Krishna Temple

This temple was built a 1000 years ago. Shri Madhavacharya, a divine Vaishnava saint, established the hermitage and reformed the temple around the 13th century. It is believed that Saint Vishwakarma, the celestial architect, constructed the temple and was discovered by Saint Madhavacharya. Once he was praying in Malpe beach, which is very near Udupi. He saw a ship, which was sailing against the great turbulence, amidst heavy tide. He rescued the ship by his divine power and found the idol of Lord Krishna, which was smeared with sandalwood paste. He built a temple and placed the idol facing the west “Paschimabhimukha”, which is unlike the common method of placing the idols in the east direction.

Interestingly, the Lord is worshipped through holes on the walls. This is because of a legend related to an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, in the 16th century who was denied darshan. To show his protest, he went into the woods and started to meditate. Lord Krishna was moved by his devotion, so he created nine holes on the walls and changed his position from east to west to bless his devotee and show that only pure love and devotion wins.

Architecture of Sri Krishna Temple

The temple is a very beautiful structure, which attracts devotees in large numbers. Lord Krishna is worshipped from the nine holes in the wall, which is called the Kanakadasa window. Lord Hanuman idol is placed in the hall and the idol of Shree Madhavacharya is also placed in the temple. Lord Vishnu’s idol, made of an alloy of five metals, is placed on the way to the sanctum sanctorum. The temple has a beautiful temple tank. The chariot of this temple is very beautiful and highly unique.

Festivals Related to Sri Krishna Temple

There are several festivals celebrated in this temple. Ugadi is the Kannada new year, celebrated during the months of March or April, according to the Gregorian calendar. Sri Ramanavami, the birth of Lord Rama, is one of the important festivals. Vasantotsava is a spring festival. Krishna Jayanthi is the birthday of Lord Krishna which receives a lot of fervor. Along with this, the festivals like Hanuman Jayanthi, Deepavali, Navratri, Makar Sankranti, Ratha Saptami , and Madhva Navami are celebrated.

Benefits of Visiting Sri Krishna Temple

Lord Krishna protects his devotees from troubles and challenges. Many childless couples visit this temple to have a child and gain the blessings of Lord Krishna. The temple is believed to have mystical powers and it is believed that the Lord listens to the prayers of his devotees.