Udupi is both a significant pilgrimage town, home to the Krishna Matha founded by the 13th-century philosopher Madhvacharya, and the acknowledged birthplace of a distinctive vegetarian cuisine that has since spread across India and internationally through Udupi-style restaurants. The Krishna Temple's unusual worship tradition — devotees view the deity through a carved silver window (Kanakana Kindi) rather than entering directly — reflects a specific historical episode tied to the temple's founding.
Beyond the temple, Udupi's coastal setting near Malpe beach and its role as an educational hub for the wider coastal Karnataka region give the town a broader appeal than its religious significance alone, and its cuisine — dosas, idlis and filter coffee in their most classic South Indian form — remains one of its most internationally recognised exports.
Krishna Matha was founded in the 13th century by Madhvacharya, a key philosopher of Vaishnavite Hindu tradition, and the temple's distinctive worship customs and the town's subsequent culinary tradition have both remained closely tied to this founding legacy for over seven centuries.
October to March.
Udupi has its own railway station; the nearest airport is Mangaluru, about 60km away.
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