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Is Udupi Krishna actually Subrahmanya?
By admin on Dec 25, 2013 | In Society
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Cat egories
Navaratri Vidhi of Ugrachanda Kalpa
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 Cat egories
There has been an ongoing discussion whether the idol of rniv sa at Navaratri Vidhi of Ugrachanda Kalpa
All
Tirupati is that of V iu. On similar lines, a controv ersy seems to hav e Sarvaraksha Nyasa
Arts
erupted in Karnataka regarding the idol of Ka in the famous Mdhv a Shubha Navaratri
Bhakti
shrine at Udupi. Durusuga
Darshana
ShrInIlatArAdhipate namaste
Oriental/New Age
The knowers of Shilpa stra suggest that the idol of Ka in the shrine at PrAsAda Parameshvara
Society
Udupi does not confirm to the lakaas laid out in the gamas for an idol of Jagannatha of Puri
Srividya
V iu or Ka. The idol, according to some ex perts of iconography , is of Brahmachamundi
Yoga
Skanda or Subrahmany a. Agnishtoma at Panjal, Kerala in 1975
XML Feeds Panchamakaras
According to popular belief, this idol was originally from the fabled city of RSS 2.0: Posts Akbar: the picture of a Tyrant
Dv rak and was obtained by Madhv cry a through a sailor. The idol, Atom: Posts Amnayabhedasamsevya Tripura
known to hav e been cov ered with gopcandana, was consecrated and What is RSS? Sarvatomukhi
installed in the shrine at Udupi by Madhv cry a, the founder of Dv aita The composition of Ramayana
V ednta. Kadi Vidyeshvari Kali Stotram of Srikula
Sixteen Kavachas of Shodashi Kalpa
There is also the popular tale of Kanakadsa, pleased with whose dev otion, Sri Muttuswami Dikshitar's Veena
the idol is said to hav e turned towards the western direction within the Sharanagata Dinarta Paritrana Parayane
shrine at Udupi. But it is now pointed out that the consecration of the - Prayoga from Saptashati
original idol was done facing the west and that the tale of Kanakadsa Kalika Purana
probably was created during the time (fifteenth century ) of prominence of Kothamangalam Vasudevan Namboothiri
the Kuruba community (shepherds) to which Kanakadsa belonged. As the C hidambara Rahasyam
idol arriv ed from the sea which faces the west, it is said to hav e been The Bhagavad Gita before the Battle
consecrated facing the same direction. Khadgavarahi
Sri Guruguha
This controv ersy is nothing new, but seems to hav e gained a new
Sri Muttuswami Dikshitar
momentum due to discussions on digital and social mediums. Many of the
Paramapavani
points outlined below are recorded in a Kannada book published by the
Vaishnavi Kavacha of Madhumati Krama
Indian Archaeological Society named - Udupi: Itihasa and Puratattv a. A
Padmavati of Jaina Tantra
researcher and writer named Manjeshwara Mukunda Prabhu has spent
Sri Svarnakarshana Ganapati
more than a decade inv estigating this subject and has collected v arious
Anjaneyastra
opinions from different research scholars which indicate that the idol is
Tirumala Tirupati Venkateshwara -
indeed of Subrahmay a and not Ka. He published an article for the first
Shiva-Vishnu C ontroversy
time in 1 985 with his study which had then created a big controv ersy . Some
Musings on Para Shodashi
of the noted scholars who hav e studied the idol and its history in depth and
Kartikeya
conclusiv ely opine that it is indeed an idol of Skanda are:
A C omprehensive Introduction to
Mantras
- Dr. G N Panth, Director, National Museum, New Delhi
Vajrayana, C onsort Practice and
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 Vajrayana, C onsort Practice and
- Dr. R C Sharma, Director, Indian Museum, Calcutta
Sublimation
- T V G Shastri, Director, Birla Archaeological and Cultural Research Center,
Srividya Laghu Krama Diksha Vidhi of
Hy derabad
Unmatta Bhairava
- Dr V V Krishna Shastri, Director, Gov ernment Museum, Mangalore
Vishnu Raksha Kavacha Stotram
- Thiru N Harinaray ana, Director and Research Scholar, Gov ernment
Sri Ramachandra
Museum, Hy derabad
Nilataradhipataye Namah
All these reputed scholars hav e published their studies supplemented by C hildren's C arnatic Ensemble
v erifiable proof. P Gururaja Bhatt, in his book, Studies in Tuluv a History and Dushtagrahanashaka Unmatta Bhairava
Culture (page 331 ), notes: the absence of kira is another feature and owing Namavali
to the impact of age, the face is worn out. He posits that the idol is much Jai Hanuman

older than the time of Madhv cry a with sev eral interesting implications. Upasaka and Bhakta
C haturayatana - C haturamnaya
Following are some of the key arguments put forth by these v arious
abhinavagupta advaita agama aghora
scholars.
akas habhairava kalpa akshobhya andolika
anga annapurna appayya diks hita atman
Udupi was originally a aiv a ketra
avarana bagalamukhi bauddha bhagavatpada
Researchers are of the opinion that Udupi, to begin with, was a aiv a ketra. bhairava bhairavi bhakti bhas hya
The place gets its name Udupi after Chandra (moon) - (Udu+pa = bhaskararaya bimbambika brahma
nakatrdhipati) who is said to hav e performed a penance here to please brahmas utra brindavana s aranga buddha

iv a to rid himself of leprosy which he contracted due to a curse from Daka buddhism buddhis t buddhis t tantra
prajpati. Lord Shiv a is said to hav e appeared here to Chandra, cured him of daks hinamurti darshana dhyana durga
his affliction and worn him as an ornament, thereby appearing as guhyakali homa japa jayanti jiva
Chandramaulv ara. Two ancient temples in Udupi are of Anantev ara and kalas ankars hini kali kamakala kamaks hi

Chandramaulv ara. Shiv alli, a place near Udupi (known for Shiv alli karma kaula kris hna lalita lalita
Brahmins) was a famous center of aiv a worship before the time of sahasranama linga lingayat m s
Madhv cry a. There are references av ailable today that speak of four subbulakshmi madhus udana s aras vati
shrines dedicated to akti and to Skanda in four directions surrounding the mahakala mahas hodas hi mahavidya mantra
temple of Anantev ara. Of these, one of the temples of Skanda is missing matangi maya moks ha narayana nyaya
today , and as recorded in an issue of the Archaeological Gazette of India, panchadashi panchakshari pancharatra
the current temple of Ka is known to originally hav e been this now pandit jas raj para pashupata pramana
missing shrine of Skanda. prasada sadhanamala samhita s amputa
s angeetakalanidhi s mt m s s ubbulaks hmi
Iconography of Ka and Skanda idols s angeetakalanidhi s ri g n balas ubramaniam
s aubhagya bhas kara shaiva shakti
It is pointed out that the pose of the idol holding what is alleged to be a
shankara s hankarac harya shiva s hiva
churning rod in one hand, with his other hand on his waist - is not
purana shodashi shrividya siddhanta
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 purana shodashi shrividya siddhanta
associated with idols of Ka and such an idol is not seen elsewhere in
s iddhi sri muttuswami dikshitar sri
India.
thyagaraja s rikula srividya sthala stotra

(a) The idol sporting a daa in one hand, is stationed in the heroic pose of tantra tara trika tripurasundari upasana
ekabhagi or samabhagi (a straight posture with no bends) rather than the vaikhanas a vajrayana vijnanavada
tribhagi (three bends of the body at the waist, neck and the knee) which is virashaiva yantra yoga
commonly associated with idols of Ka. Ev en the aottara used in the
temple of Ka today includes the name: tribhagine nama. V arious forms
of Ka such as Nartana Ka (dancing posture), Gov ardhanadhra (lifting
mount Gov ardhana), Kligamardana - none of these are seen in
samabhagi.

(b) The chief object associated with the idol of Ka is the flute which is also
missing in the idol at Udupi. The iconographical details hence seem to
match those of Subrahmay a instead who is frequently depicted as
Day udhapi (bearing a staff in his hand).

(c) According to gama and shilpa stras, some of the common

characteristics of an idol or icon of Ka are: akha and cakra, mukua
(crown), peacock feather, v anaml, rv atsa lchana, ptmbara (the idol
in Udupi on the other hand is clad in kaupna - associated with Skanda) and
flute. Now, the reasons why this idol is that of Skanda are: samabhagi
(discussed earlier), day udha in the hand, kaihasta (hand on the waist),
kaupna (loin cloth) and kelakra (as opposed to hair cov ered by a crown
in the case of Ka v igrahas).

The idol at Udupi perfectly fits the below popular pratim lakaa of a
Skanda v igraha from Kumara Tantra:

|
-
||

kalpadruma praamat kamalrubha

skanda bhujadv ay amanmay amekav aktram |
kty y ansutamaha kaibaddhadma-
kaupnadaadharadakiahastame ||
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 Another similar v erse can be seen from the ancient Kmikgama:

|


||

dv ihasto y ajastrhy a saikhastrimekhala |

kaupnadaadhk sav y ap kay rito apara ||

Agencies associated with the Ka Maha of Udupi deny this theory and
insist that the idol follows the guidelines of the work Tantrasrasagraha of
Madhv cry a and hence argue that it is no big deal if it defies the well-
known rules of gama and ilpastra. Howev er, this argument makes no
sense as the idol (according to the narrativ e of the Mdhv a v otaries
themselv es) ex isted much before the birth of Madhv cry a, and hence also
predates the work Tantrasrasagraha. The v ery first reference to a
churning rod (in the hands of this idol of Ka ) seems to hav e started from
the time of V dirja (1 480), a Mdhv a Y ati who first interpreted the daa
as a churning-rod and the channav ta.

Dr. Selv apillai Iy engar, who has a doctorate in ilpastra and is currently
serv ing as a research scholar at KSOU, asks the following questions:

(a) Ka is generally depicted as wearing an urudma (a thread around the

waist or hip, which most traditional Hindus wear to this day ), but nev er
holding a rope in his left hand.
(b) Ev en if the idol did depict a rope, why is it held in left hand and not tied
to the churning rod?
(c) Why is the churning rod, if it indeed was one, held in an inv erted fashion
with the churning end pointed upwards?

Subrahm any a worship in Dakshina Kannada

The idol said to be of Balarma which also was retreiv ed by Madhv cry a
from the ship and installed at V aabhev ara, is again v ery similar to the
idol of Skanda and does not confirm to any lakaas of an icon of Balarma.
Both idols, researchers opine, are of Skanda and resemble numerous such
idols found throughout the region of Dakshina Kannada where the worship
of Subrahmay a was v ery popular in the past. Shown below is one such
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 image of Skanda which closely resembles the idol in Udupi alleged to be a
Ka v igraha.

Some ex perts also draw attention to the shrine of Kukke Subrahmay a, also
situated in the coastal belt of Karnataka, which houses a v igraha that
resembles the idol at Udupi. Both these idols ex hibit v ery similar
iconographical details popular in the region in the eighth century when
Subrahmay a worship was at its peak. Also, an ex pert of iconography from
Udupi named P Gururaja Bhatt points out that the daa, ov er a period of
time, had worn off giv ing it the appearance of a churning rod, and it is
actually a snake, that is mistaken for a rope (talk of adhy sa!) Alternately ,
based on the lakaas of Skanda idols, this is recognized as channav ta. The
coastal belt, where primary adherence was to aiv a customs, is recorded to
hav e been effectiv ely influenced to worship V iu after the establishment of
Ka Maha by Madhv cry a.

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 Hagiographical Accounts

There is proof for the ex istence of the idol (now believ ed to hav e been
consecrated by Madhv a) ev en before the times of Madhv cry a. Also, the
hagiographical Madhv av ijay a of Nry aapaitcry a does not speak of an
idol which bears a churning rod in its hand. This work which prov ides a
kedipdnta description of Ka, makes absolutely no reference to a
churning rod, which is the most significant aspect of the idol at Udupi. Also,
other than works of gama and Tantra which make no mention of a mrti
bearing a churning rod and rope in its hands, Puras such as Brahma,
Brahmav aiv arta, Bhgav ata, V iu etc. also do not illustrate such a form of
Ka or V iu.

The earliest reference to the idol of Ka - ev en before V dirjas popular

narrativ e, is seen the hagiography Sumadhv a V ijay a by one Nray aa
paitcry a, said to be a direct disciple of Madhv cry a:

-

|

||

|



|| (9.41-42)

gopikpraay ina riy a pate-

rkti daamati ilmay m |
iy akaistricaturairjalay e
odhay anniha tato v y aghay at ||
sparandbhagav ato.atipv ant
sannidhnapadat gata hare |
triadudy atanarai sudurdhar
llay .anay adimmasau maham || (9.41 -42)

According to popular tradition, Madhv cry a rescued a ship that arriv ed

on the shores of Malpe by wav ing his saffron robes and guided it to safety in
a raging storm. When the owner of the ship offered any thing from the ship as
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 a gift for sav ing his life, Madhv cry a is said to hav e chosen two logs of
gopcandana which concealed the idols of Ka and Balarma. It is this idol
that is currently believ ed to be installed in the temple at Udupi. Howev er,
none of the older works, especially the Sumadhv av ijay a, make any mention
of this tale. According to Nray aa paitcry a believ ed to be the direct
disciple of Madhv cry a, the idol was retriev ed from the depths of the sea
by Madhv a with the help of his disciples and subsequently installed at the
Kna maha at Udupi. As clearly seen from the abov e v erses of
Sumadhv av ijay a, the popular story of the idol arriv ing in a ship from
Dv rak seems to be a later spinoff.

Based on the hagiographical akarav ijay a, Hastmalakcry a, a disciple of

akara, who was from this region, is known to hav e established the earliest
idol of Ka in Udupi, which is today rumored to be the Taila Ka'
worshipped in the Kangu Maha of the Mdhv as. A picture of this idol is
shown below.

Majeshwara Mukunda Prabhu posits that Tantrasrasagraha indicates

Madhv cry as familiarity with gama and ilpastra and hence it is
difficult to believ e that he mistook the idol of Skanda for Ka. Also, after
the establishment of this idol, for the nex t 300 y ears, there seems to hav e
been no dhy na lokas composed on the deity by the pontiffs of the Ka
Maha at Udupi, till the time of V dirja in 1 500. Prabhu argues that
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 V dirja camouflaged the idol with v arious alakras (decorations) - one of
which happens to be Skandlakra, and composed v erses and songs to
popularize the deity as Ka. Below is a v erse composed by V dirja which
seems to be the first description of the idol as Ka which calls the daa as
mantha (churning rod):

|

||

ka v ande manthapadhara div y rbhakktim |

ikhbandhatray opeta bhaimmadhv akarrcitam ||

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