Udupi: facts worth knowing

• State: Karnataka. Udupi district was carved out of Dakshina Kannada on 25 August 1997 from its Udupi, Kundapura and Karkala taluks; it covers 3,582 km².
• Coast: the town sits on the Arabian Sea in Tulu Nadu, the Tulu-speaking coast of Karnataka, with the Western Ghats inland.
• Distances: about 60 km north of Mangaluru and its airport. Malpe beach is 6 km away, Manipal 4–5 km.
• Town: Udupi City Municipal Council dates from 1995 and takes in Manipal, Malpe and Santhekatte. At the 2011 census the city (municipal council with outgrowths) had 144,960 people.
• Languages: Tulu, Kannada and Konkani, with Beary also spoken in the district.
• Name: the spelling Udipi is the same town. One explanation takes the name from Sanskrit udupa, the moon, after the legend of the Moon praying to Shiva at the Chandramouleshwara temple; another from Tulu Odipu.

The Krishna Matha. In the 13th century Madhvacharya, founder of the Dvaita school of Vedanta, installed the Krishna image here and founded the eight Ashta Mathas to serve it. Krishna is seen only through the Navagraha Kindi, a silver-plated window with nine openings (the Kanakana Kindi, named after the poet-saint Kanaka Dasa, is a separate opening in the western wall). Every two years the temple passes from one matha to the next at the Paryaya (17–18 January 2028, expected). The Anantheshwara temple next door is older still, generally dated to the 8th century. More in temples in Udupi.

The food. Udupi cuisine grew out of the Matha's kitchen, where the Shivalli Madhwa Brahmin cooks had to offer Krishna a different set of dishes every day without onion or garlic. Restaurants called "Udupi" are found all over India, and the district administration notes that most hotel owners in Karnataka come from here. The temple still feeds everyone free at lunch and dinner. Two local inventions: the masala dosa, which the district calls Udupi's contribution to the world, and the gadbad ice cream, layered in a tall glass at Diana Restaurant in the 1960s. More in what to eat in Udupi.

Three registered Geographical Indications. Udupi Mallige, the jasmine of Shankarpura (registered 2007–08); Mattu gulla, a pale green brinjal grown in a few villages near Kaup (2011); and the Udupi cotton saree.

Manipal and the banks. Manipal, part of the city, is an education and medical town, home to Kasturba Medical College and MIT (Manipal Institute of Technology). Corporation Bank was founded in Udupi in 1906, and Syndicate Bank was born here too.

The sea and the stage. Malpe is the largest fishing harbour in the district, and St Mary's Island off it, with its hexagonal basalt columns, is a National Geological Monument. Huli Vesha, the tiger dance, began in Udupi district, and the all-night Yakshagana dance-drama plays in village fields from about November to May.

The monsoon here is heavy. At the nearest IMD station (Mangaluru-Panambur) June and July each bring about 1,000 mm of rain, and the year adds up to about 3,600 mm, most of it from June to September. December to March is nearly dry, with highs of 33–34 °C. The sea is closed to swimming through the monsoon, and November to February is the season. More in best time to visit Udupi.