India GOPrasadam at the Udupi Krishna Matha
In Udupi, prasadam means annadana, the free meal of the Sri Krishna Matha. Every day its dining hall, the Bhojana Shala, feeds everyone who comes, without registration: rice, sambar, rasam, vegetables and payasam on a banana leaf. Lunch runs roughly 12:00–14:30 and dinner roughly 20:00–21:30; timings shift on festival days.
Annadana at Sri Krishna Matha
Annadana means 'the gift of food': the temple feeds everyone who turns up, every day, for free. You sit in a row on the floor, a banana leaf goes down in front of you, and servers walk the line ladling rice, sambar, vegetables and payasam. Udupi cuisine, the whole South Indian vegetarian repertoire that spread across India through Udupi restaurants, came out of this kitchen.
Served twice a day: lunch roughly 12:00–14:30 and dinner roughly 20:00–21:30. Timings shift on festival days.
What annadana is
Annadana means "the gift of food". The Krishna Matha has fed pilgrims free for over seven hundred years, a tradition that goes back to Madhvacharya, who founded the temple in the 13th century. The kitchen cooks for pilgrims, local residents, travellers, people in need and anyone else who wants to eat; lunch, the main sitting, feeds around five thousand people a day.
The meal is the source of a whole cuisine: the South Indian vegetarian repertoire that spread across India through Udupi restaurants came out of this kitchen. What the temple serves is sattvic, strictly vegetarian and cooked without onion or garlic, the pattern known as Udupi meals.
What is served
The menu is simple, and every guest gets a fresh banana leaf.
- Rice — The base of the meal.
- Sambar and rasam — Sambar is a lentil and vegetable stew; rasam is a thin, tangy broth.
- Palya — A seasonal dry vegetable dish.
- Buttermilk — Buttermilk to finish the meal.
- Payasam — Sweet milk pudding, often but not always.
How it works
No ticket, no booking, no payment.
- Come to the Bhojana Shala
The dining hall is part of the Krishna Matha complex on Car Street (Ratha Beedi). Lunch, roughly 12:00–14:30, is the main sitting; dinner is roughly 20:00–21:30.
- Sit down in a row
Everyone sits cross-legged on the floor in long rows.
- Wait for the leaf
A fresh banana leaf goes down in front of you, and servers, many of them volunteers, walk the line ladling out each dish in turn.
- Eat
The meal is the same for everyone, and it is offered as service to Krishna rather than as charity.
Combining it with darshan
If you combine the meal with darshan, remember that the dress code applies inside the temple (men remove their shirts; no jeans or T-shirts). The temple's story is on the Sri Krishna Matha page; what to wear is on Udupi temple dress code.
Meal times shift on festival days. The temple's big festivals are the Saptotsava (10–16 January 2027, expected) and, every two years, the Paryaya (17–18 January 2028, expected).
If you want to give back
The meal is free, but the temple accepts offerings towards it. They go through the matha that is currently running the temple under the two-year Paryaya rotation, which takes Annadaana seva in any amount or for a day's meals. Which matha that is, with a link to its website, is on the official Krishna Matha site.
FAQ
What are the timings for prasadam at Udupi Mutt?
Lunch is served roughly 12:00–14:30 and dinner roughly 20:00–21:30. Timings shift on festival days.
Is the prasadam at Udupi Krishna Temple free?
Yes. Anyone can sit down in the Bhojana Shala and eat, with no registration and no payment.
Why is the prasadam at Udupi served on the floor?
Guests sit cross-legged in long rows and eat off a fresh banana leaf, the traditional way of serving the temple meal.
What is the famous food of Udupi?
The masala dosa and Udupi meals, the vegetarian banana-leaf meal without onion or garlic that grew out of the temple kitchen. More on what to eat in Udupi.
Which sweet is famous in Udupi?
At the temple it is payasam, the milk pudding served with the meal. In town it is Gadbad ice cream, invented at Diana Restaurant in the 1960s; more on Udupi sweets.
Sources (1)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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