Kanakana-kindī — the window-darśana of Kanakadāsa

Kanakana-kindī — the window-darśana of Kanakadāsa

Tradition

Hindu / Dvaita / Madhva

Location

• Udupi, Udupi, Karnataka (13.3409°N, 74.7421°E)

Sacred Narrative

At Udupi Krishna Mutt (madhvacharya-udupi-pejawar), the idol of Bāla-Krishna originally faced eastward. When the low-caste saint-poet Kanakadāsa (1509–1609) was denied entry, Krishna turned his idol around to face westward, looking out through a small window — the Kanakana-kindī (window of Kanaka). Pilgrims today also have darshan through this window, not just from the front. The story is celebrated in Dvaita tradition as proof of divine egalitarianism.