Madhvācārya at Udupi

Madhvācārya at Udupi

Tradition: Hindu / Dvaita / Mādhva

The Place

• Location: Udupi, Udupi (13.3409°N, 74.7421°E) Karnataka
• Historical: 1238–1317 CE; Udupi mutt founded 13th c.

Story

Madhvācārya (Ānandatīrtha) (1238–1317 CE) — founder of Dvaita Vedānta (dualism) and the Mādhva Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. At Udupi, he established the Krishna-mutt with an idol of Bāla-Krishna (the child Krishna, holding a churner and rope) that he miraculously recovered from a ship in the Arabian sea. The 8 mutts of Udupi (Aṣṭa-mutts) take turns as custodian, each for 2 years, in the famous Paryāya Utsava (every alternate odd year in January). Madhva's commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra is the foundation of Dvaita philosophy. The Kanakadāsa devotee is associated here — Krishna turned around from his eastward-facing shrine to face westward to give darshan to the low-caste Kanakadāsa.

Worship & Mantra

Oṁ Hari Kṛṣṇa Hari Hari Kṛṣṇa

Festival Cycle

• Paryāya Utsava (Magha (January), 1 day (every 2 years))
• Madhva Navami (Magha Śukla 9 (Jan–Feb), 1 day)

Why This Entry Matters

Every tradition in India — textual, oral, tribal, regional, syncretic — deserves first-person recognition. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.