GuruvAyUr & UDupi KRShNas

[Balaji Hebbar]

Both  GuruvAyUr  and  UDupi  KRShNa  have  a  lot  in  common.

1.  Both  are  bAlakRShNa  idols  of  the  MalabAr  region.
2.  Both  are  associated  with  miraculous  happenings.
3.  In  the  case  of  GuruvAyUr,  KRShNa  was  established  by  Guru
and  VAyu  and  hence  the  name.  In  the  case  of  UDupi  KRShNa,
VAyu  came  as  a  Guru  (i.e.  MadhvAcArya)  and  established  it.  The
MAdhvas  consider  Madhva  as  an  incarnation  of  VAyu.  Every  pious
MAdhva  recites  the  prayer:

Prathamo  hanumAnnAma,  dvitIyo  bhImaeva  ca,  pUrNaprajn.a  tRtIyastu
bhagavadkArya  sAdhakaH.

There  is  something  more  to  all  this  than  the  info  I  have
given  here.  Good  topic  for  a  doctoral  dissertation,  if  can
find  enough  material.  I  can  help  on  the  UDupi  Temple  end  of
it  (if  any  candidate  is  interested).  My  Master's  thesis  20
years  ago  was  on  that.  It  is  about  500  pages  and  covers
almost  every  detail  about  the  temple.  I  hope  to  publish  it
someday.

Regards,
B.N.Hebbar