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Udupi is both a pilgrimage centre and a tourist spot of Karnataka. As a tourist place, it has access to many places of tourist interest including the world famous sunset spot Agumbe, Mangalore, Gokarna, Maravanthe beach, Murudeshwara and so on.

As a pilgrimage centre, it has access to Dharmasthala, Kollur, Gokarna and so on. Udupi has a religious history of nearly 800 years when Madhwacharya consecrated the idol of Sri Krishna at Udupi in 1278 AD. He also established a system of managing Sri Krishna temple by ordaining that only Sanyasis should be in charge of the Pooja Kainkarya.

Among the disciples of Sri Madhwa, eight stayed at Udupi to take up the responsibility of worshipping the idol of Sri Krishna as well as the propagation of the tenets of Madhwa’s philosophy. In the beginning, all these eight disciples, who were the first pontiffs of the eight Mutts, used to stay together in Sri Krishna Mutt. They used to share the priestly duties according to their convenience by mutual consultation. Then the tradition of each one of them to be in charge of the temple for 2 months began.

This system continued up to the period of Sri Vadiraja, who changed it to a two - year term. This allowed the Swamijis to undertake long tours and pilgrimages. Sri Vadiraja also constructed eight Mutts, one for each of the Swamijis, which came to be known as Udupi Ashta Mutts around the Car Street.

The eight Mutts established by the Madhwa Raja Swamy were (within brackets are the present Swamijis), Palimaru Mutt (26th Seer: Vidyadheesha Swamiji), Adamaru Mutt (30th Seer: Vishva Priya Teertha Swamiji), Krishnapura Mutt (36th Seer: Vidya Sagara Teertha Swamiji), Puttige Mutt (29th Seer: Sri Suguneendra Teertha Swamiji), Siruru Mutt (30th Seer: Lakshmi Vara Teertha Swamiji), Sode Mutt (36th Seer: Vishwa Vallabha Swamiji), Kaniyuru Mutt (30th Seer: Vidya Vallabha Teertha Swamiji) and Pejawar Mutt (33rd Seer: Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji), in the order of Paryaya cycle. There are five more Mutts in Udupi, with Swamijis of their own, other than those who are authorised to worship Lord Krishna’s original idol. They are Bhandarakeri Mutt, Vyaasaraaya Mutt, Bhimanakatte Mutt, Uttaradi Mutt and the Raghavendra Swami Mutt.

The two months time given to each Swamijis for the Pooja and propagation of Dharma was found to be inadequate for raising the funds to run the Institution as Anna Daana was introduced right from the day one. They had to wait for another two hundred years for the arrival of Vadiraja Swamy (1480 - 1600 AD) to make a revolutionary change in changing this period of two months to two years and the name of Paryaya for this particular two years to be called as Paryaya of the respective Mutt.

It is interesting to note that the consecration of Sri Krishna idol at Udupi itself has a remarkable anecdote. When Dwaraka was submerged under sea, the Krishna idol also went down with it. A bundle of sandal wood, drifting on the sea water, caught the attention of some sailing merchants and they seized the sandal wood bundle, which had been tied tightly. They sailed towards the west and moored their ship near Udupi. The merchants approached Madhwa Raja Swamy to get his blessings and presented this sandalwood bundle to him. The Seer untied the bundle easily and found the idol of Sri Krishna there. This is the idol which still exists and is being worshipped at Udupi. There are some variants to this anecdote.

One more interesting anecdote is, when Babar destroyed Ayodhya, an Anjaneya Swamy (incarnation of Vayu Deva) idol had remained intact. When a Swamiji, Vishva Preeti Teertha, visited that place, he found the idol and brought it to Udupi and installed it there. It is said, if Krishna is the Lord or the Maharaja of this Mutt, this Hanuman is the Dewan. People have great faith in this Anjaneya and fear him more than the reigning deity Krishna.

Kanaka Dasa was closely associated with Sri Krishna Mutt. Lord Krishna gave darshan to Kanaka Dasa here through a window when he was not allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum. Kanaka Dasa had offered Lord Krishna what he could afford. That was a half coconut shell full of Ganji. Vadiraja Swamy had ordered the first offering of all days to the Lord should be the same and it is being followed even now when Lord Krishna can afford even a golden plate.

The present Paryaya Swamy is Lakshmi Vara Swamiji of Sirur Mutt. Sri Vidyadheesha Swamiji is the reigning seer of Palimaru Mutt of Udupi.

Sri Vidyadheesha Swamiji of Palimaru Mutt has participated in two Paryas, one with his predecessor as an assistant and one all by himself in 2002 - 2004. He is a great scholar of Sanskrit, Veda, Upanishat and other religious scripture. His young age has not deterred him from the pious path. A very simple and unassuming person, he spends whatever spare time he could get, to teach some thing or the other to his disciples.

He was gracious to grant me an interview and I had an enlightening interaction with him, during his stay in Mysore from Nov. 22 to Dec. 2, for a Pravachana of “Rugmineesha Vijaya” at Udupi Krishna Mandira, established in 1964 in the gracious presence of the then Palimaru Sri and Pejawar Sri. He said there are three types of Bramhas, prevailing in three important Vaishnavite centres. The first is Suvarna Bramha, which is in Tirupathi, in which Lord Venkateshwara always listens to the sound of money. The second is Nada Bramha, which is in Pandarapura, where Sri Krishna listens to the sound of the bronze Tala and the music. The third one is the Anna Brahma, which is in Udupi. Here Sri Krishna listens to the people who say gratifying things after sumptuously fed.

The Anna Bramha or the feeding of the people has begun since the initiation of the Mutts and all pilgrims, irrespective of their caste and creed are fed there. All school and college going students in and around Udupi are also being fed. In fact the Bisiyoota concept of feeding school children was started much before the government planned it.

He is so unassuming that, when I asked him what was the contribution to the society by him, he said I have not contributed anything personally. He did not want to take the credit of anything either for himself or for his Mutt. Whatever good things are done the credit should go to all the seers of the eight Mutts, he said. There is a Samskrutha Pathashala, teaching apart from Sanskrit, Veda, Jyotishya and other related education.

There is a controversy in Udupi Ashta Mutts. It the calendar of the Panchanga they follow. Some of the Mutts follow the old system of calculations and some follow the new system, the Drugganita. This has given rise to two Ekadashi coming on two consecutive days. When some Mutts are fasting on the Ekadashi Day, for the others it is the Dwadashi, on which day they will be feasting. The Swamiji did not say anything about this anomaly. He said it is for all the eight Mutts to sit together and resolve the issue and he alone could not give any opinion. He has many ambitious plans for the upliftment of the society. Like Pejawar Sri, he is also broad - minded and has great respect for the work he is doing. He wished that he could do that much in his life time. His followers consider him as the torch-bearer for future generation.

The discourse on Rugmineesha Vijaya is the story of Sri Krishna from his childhood days, his pranks and his marriage to Rugmini. This Sanskrit Kavya written by Vadiraja is considered as equivalent to the Maha Kavyas of Kalidasa. He said Rugmini is the correct pronunciation and it has become Rukmini colloquially and has stayed.

In the morning, there was a puja organised with a thousand Kalasha, which was a stupendous task. All the inputs are the result of two - hour discussions with the Seer.

S. R. Krishna Murthy
Courtesy: Star of Mysore

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