Udupi travel guide

Udupi, India

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Udupi

Introduction

Udupi is a city in the western part of the Indian state of Karnataka, where it serves as the administrative headquarters of Udupi district. It is known as the temple city, and its name is tied to the Krishna Temple, to the Kanakana kindi, and to the Parashurama Kshetra. The city is also one of the fastest-growing in Karnataka and is home to various educational institutions, which gives it a lively, student-driven character alongside its religious life.

For visitors, Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka, drawing travellers for its temple traditions and for the Udupi cuisine that carries the city's name far beyond the region. Plan your time around the temple area and the everyday eating places that define the city's food culture.

Before you go

Udupi sits on the coast of the Arabian Sea, and the sea keeps the weather fairly equable throughout the year. Daytime temperatures are warm and humidity is normally high, so pack light, breathable clothing. The rainy season runs from June to September, when the monsoon can soak you within seconds, so waterproofs and quick-drying clothes are worth bringing if you travel then. October to March is the coolest stretch and the best time to visit; April and May are hot, and June to September is wet enough that you may spend most of your time indoors. The trade-off is that April and May bring ripe mangoes, and the rains from June to September turn the area green and beautiful.

Udupi is the headquarters of the Maadhva sect of Hinduism, established by the sage Madhvacharya in the 13th century, and the Krishna temple at its heart is a major pilgrimage destination. Dress and behave accordingly around religious sites. Manipal, a suburb of the city, is an important educational and medical centre, and the Udupi Tourism website is the place to check before you set out.

Getting there

Udupi sits right on NH-66, the coastal highway linking Mumbai and Goa to the north with Mangalore and Kochi to the south, so road access along the west coast is straightforward. From Bangalore, the drive runs via Mangalore on NH-75 through the ghats; the route through Agumbe ghats is especially scenic, but the ghat roads can be damaged during the monsoon, so check in advance which of the four ghats is passable and plan that stretch accordingly. Drive yourself only if you are comfortable with Indian highways; otherwise hire a driver or take a cab.

The Konkan Railway serves Udupi station, with connections to Mumbai, Bangalore and Mangalore, and major trains including the Rajdhani Express stop here. The Yeshwantpur-Karwar express links Bangalore to Udupi on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and a night train runs from Mangalore to Bangalore. The Vistadome Express, with a coach of rotating chairs and large windows, lets you take in the Western Ghats scenery. By air, Mangalore International Airport is the closest, with pre-paid non-A/C taxis bookable from the counter inside the arrival terminal taking roughly an hour and a half; Goa's Dabolim airport is a less practical option unless you are combining a Goa trip. Buses run regularly from major southern cities and Maharashtra, with Volvo, Airbus and KSRTC choices, and frequent services from Mangalore take about an hour. Private buses stop at the service bus stand in the city centre and near Tiger circle at Manipal. Nearby towns such as Murudeshwar, Karwar and Gokarna are also well connected.

Getting around

Buses are the workhorse of local transport in Udupi, run by both private operators and KSRTC, and they generally start and end at the main bus stand with stops spread throughout the city. Tickets are bought on boarding or from the conductor just before you get on, and fares are inexpensive and charged by distance. If you are unsure where to catch one, ask locally, as stops are not always obvious. Private buses arriving from elsewhere typically stop at the service bus stand in the city centre and near Tiger Circle in Manipal.

Auto-rickshaws can be flagged down on the street and are generally a cheap way to travel, though drivers often prefer to negotiate a flat fare rather than run the meter. Hired cabs exist but cannot be hailed off the street, so arrange one in advance through your hotel, a travel desk or a local operator, and agree on a fare before you set off. Walking is genuinely pleasant when the weather cooperates, with the cooler winter months the best window, since summers are hot and the monsoon brings heavy rain and strong winds. Note that the city has no footpaths, so you share the edge of the road with auto-rickshaws and motorbikes. Carry small change for bus fares and auto rides, and for intercity travel use the railway station at Indrali or the central bus stand.

Where to stay

Hotels in Udupi are reasonably priced and cheap, and most are concentrated around the city centre and the temple. Another option is to look for a hotel near Manipal, which is more expensive. If you are after a beach holiday, the Paradise Island Beach Resort is an option.

There are also many chatras or choultries in and around Shri Krishna Matha, including Birla Chatra, Krishna Dhama, Vidya Samudra Choultry, Bhuvaraha guest house, Adhokshaja Mandira and Vijayadwaja. The 8 Mathas offer comfortable rooms adjacent to the Krishna Temple Parking Area, which can be booked only in person.

Food & drink

Udupi's vegetarian cooking is famous across India and among Indians abroad, a reputation owed to the Sri Krishna temple and its traditions of free food and Shivalli Brahmin cooks working to Satvik principles — no onion, no garlic, yet full of subtle flavour. Sample the local staples at long-standing vegetarian institutions near the temple and around town: golibaje, masala dosa, idli, medu wada and dosa with sambar and coconut chutney, washed down with filter coffee, badam milk, grape juice or lassi. Look out for dishes unique to the place: matti gulla, a local eggplant; ibbulle, a musk melon best taken as rasayana, a thick pulpy juice; hayagreeva maddi, a sweet of chickpea, coconut and jaggery; and charmuri upkari from the handcarts around Rathabeedi. Ginger soda is a well-known local drink.

Meat-eaters are well served too. Try kori sukha, chicken in spicy masala with grated coconut, and kori rotti, chicken curry with crisp rice roti. Seafood is excellent — bangude fish and king fish are common, so order a bangude tawa fry or a fish thali. At Malpe beach you can eat at the fish fry shop just outside the beach. For international cuisines, head to Manipal. As a temple town, Udupi is not a place for alcoholic drinks or nightlife; Manipal, a short hop from the centre, is where you go for a drink, whether at a roadside standing bar serving cocktails and mocktails or a pub with an attached sports bar and lounge. Near the beaches you may find unfermented toddy tapped from coconut trees in the early morning, but be careful about its quality and safety.

What to see and do

Udupi's heart is the Krishna temple complex, which along with the main temple includes the historic Anantheshwara and Chandramouleshwara temples, all linked by the Ratha beedi, or chariot street. The street takes its name from the temple chariots stationed there, which carry the deity in procession on festive occasions such as the Paryaya. The eight mutts founded by Madhvacharya ring the Ratha beedi, and the street doubles as a shopping area, with the Gita Mandira and Rajangana, venues for cultural programmes and discourses, a short walk away. At the temple itself, note that the statue faces west, away from devotees; to glimpse the deity you make your way to Kanakana Kindi, the window named for the devotee Kanakadasa, now topped by a gopura. The temple is built in the architectural style typical of Kerala and Dakshina Kannada, with shrines to subordinate deities including Garuda and Hanuman, and prasadam is available inside. Beside the temple is the Madhva Sarovara, a pond with a central mantapa that is often lit up; ask locally whether bathing is permitted before you take the plunge. The Anantheshwara temple is dedicated to Parashurama, who by legend created the landmass of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kerala, while the neighbouring Chandramouleshwara temple is dedicated to Shiva, to whom the moon is said to have prayed at the spot.

Beyond the temple town, you can head to the coast or the hills. Malpe beach is clean and uncrowded, with views of the sunset behind St Mary's Island; boats run from the beach to the island, where volcanic lava flows and waves have left striking rock formations and where a beach is worth a wander. Closer to town, Udyavar Pithrodi is an island at the mouth of a river near Udyavar beach, reached by boat, though beware pollution from the nearby fishing mills. Kapu Beach, south of Udupi, is relatively unknown and has a lighthouse with a fine view. Inland, Manipal End-point Park is a small cliff overlooking the Suwarna river, with views of both sea and mountains, and Pajaka Kshetra at Kunjarugiri, the birthplace of Madhvacharya, has a Durga temple, a memorial to him and ponds said to cleanse bathers of sin. For active pursuits, turn east to Karkala for trekking around Agumbe, or south to Mulki and Mangalore, where a surf retreat combines surfing with spiritualism; closer by, a nature camp beyond Hebri offers whitewater rafting during the monsoon. Culturally, try to catch a performance of Yakshagana, the dance-drama native to the Karavali region, or a Bhoota Kola or Naga Mandala ritual — though performances are advertised only in local Kannada newspapers, and appreciating Yakshagana fully requires some Kannada or Tulu. The Paryaya, the handover of the main Udupi mutt's leadership between the eight mutts, is an occasion for much celebration and many religious ceremonies.

When to go

Udupi has an equable, humid climate throughout the year, so what shapes your trip is the season you choose. The cool dry season from October to March is the best time to visit: the weather is cool, humidity is relatively manageable, and the sea breeze keeps the days equable even though temperatures still reach the low thirties and nights stay mild. This is also when you will encounter the heaviest crowds and the highest prices of the year.

April and May bring a hot spell, with daytime temperatures at the top of the range and high humidity, making outdoor sightseeing uncomfortable — plan your days around early mornings and evenings. The heat does have one reward: ripe mangoes are available, a notable draw for visitors. From June to September the monsoon arrives and can soak you within seconds. The rains turn the area green and beautiful, but you will likely spend most of your time indoors, with heavy downpours, high humidity, and fewer tourists around.

Three days in Udupi

Day one begins in Udupi itself, the temple town at the heart of the district. Start at the Krishna Temple, the centre of Maadhva Hinduism and the seat of the tradition founded by Madhvacharya, and take in the Kanakana kindi, the window through which the devotee Kanakana is said to have seen Krishna. The town sits in Parashurama Kshetra, the coastal strip of Karnataka said to have been reclaimed from the Arabian Sea. Dress modestly for the temple. In the evening, eat Udupi-style Indian vegetarian food, the cuisine the town is known for.

Day two, head to Manipal, the university town nearby, for a change of pace from the temple streets. Plan your travel around the seasons: daytime can be hot and humid for much of the year, June to September brings the heavy monsoon, and October to March is drier and more comfortable, while April and May are the warmest months. Udupi Tourism can help you arrange local trips. If you want a longer outing, the drive towards Agumbe climbs into the hills behind the coast.

Day three, use Udupi as a base for the wider coast. The district sits on the Arabian Sea and along the NH that runs between Mumbai and Goa to the north and Mangalore and Kochi to the south. The Konkan Railway links Karwar and the coast, while from Bangalore you can reach the region by road or by the Rajdhani Express and the Yeshwantpur services. Mondays and Wednesdays can be useful days to plan onward travel. Keep the last day simple: a final temple visit, a coastal meal, and time to sort your route onward.

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