All Vaishnava festivals are celebrated in Sri Krishna Mutt with great pomp and grandeur. On special occasions, the icon of Krishna is decorated in magnificent costumes and thus becomes Mastya, Kurma, etc. Krishna decorated as Arjuna's charioteer is especially eye-catching. Sri Krishna Mutt is a hive of activity throughout the twelve months of the year and the following is a list of the more important festivals celebrated with great pomp and ceremony.
A tray containing a coconut, fruits, jewels, and a mirror is placed in front of the icon of Sri Krishna on the previous night. The next morning, these auspicious objects are the first things seen by Sri Krishna. This ritual is known as the darshana of kaNi. The paryaaya Swamiji then takes an oil both first thing in the morning, and a priest reads out the almanac for the coming year to those assembled -- the latter activity is called panchaanga shravaNa. Special dishes are offered to the deities. A grand festival is arranged in the dining hall at chauki.
This coincides with the anniversary of passing of Sri Vijayadhvaja Tîrtha, the sixth pîThâdhipati in the lineage of Sri Pejawar Mutt. He is famous for his commentatory upon the Srimad Bhâgavata epic. He lived in the 15th century and his vrindavana is in Kanva Tîrtha. There is also a pipal tree by the side of the vrindavana under which he is believed to have written his commentary.
During the tenure of Sri Pejawar MaTha a special festival is arranged in Sri Krishna Mutt on this day and the akshaya paatra given by Sri Madhva is offered a special pûja.
Since Sri Krishnapur MaTha and Sri Kaniyur MaTha have the icon of Narasimha, special car festivals and feasts are arranged on that day during the paryâya-s of those MaTha-s.
On this Ekâdashî day, Mâdhvas observe a sacred ritual of initiation by embossing the sacred seals on their foreheads, chests and arms by way of heated mudrâ-s.
On this day, the sudarshana homa is arranged in Sri Krishna MaTha. Silver seals of chakra and shankha are heated in the sacred fire and they are stamped first o n the chest, forehead and shoulders of the Swamiji and then on the chest, forehead and shoulders of the devotees present. This is a sort of initiation that many undergo every year.
Devotees from far off places come to Udupi to participate in this ceremony on this day. They take a holy bath in the Madhva-sarovara, undergo the ritual mudrâ-dhâraNâ and return to their places of residence. Even women and children get initiated in this manner.
From this day onward the next month, the shâka vrata -- a ritual dietary restriction -- is observed. The eating of vegetables and chillies is forbidden for the duration. Only green gram, black gram, and such other items are used for cooking.
After the daily rituals are over, the Swamiji holds a tray containing sacred clay and firewood, and addresses the assembled devotees thus.
praayeNa praavR^ishi praaNi saN^kulam vartma dR^ishyate |
atasteshaamahimsaarthaM pakshaavai shrutichodanaat.h |
sthaasyaamashchaturomaasaanatraivaasati baadhake ||
To this the householders present reply, `Please do stay here and grace us by your presence.'
During the next two months the scholars chant the Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhâgavata and the works of Sriman Madhvacharya.
Now-a-days, instead of the full-moon day of âshâDha, the châturmâsya starts from the fifth day of the dark fortnight of âshâDha. This coincides with the anniversary of passing of Sri Tîkâchârya (Sri Jayatîrtha).
During the Ekâdashî fasting days of this period a special worship known as jâgara pûjâ takes place in the nights. After the râtri pûjâ the Swamiji carries on his head a tray containing a tuLasî. He dances chanting the glory of the Lord. The musicians and attendants dance and sing devotional songs and then the scholars chant the sacred epics until late into the night. (Ekadashî nights are meant to be spent awake in the study of scripture and chanting of prayers, etc., in addition to the whole day and night being spent fasting.)
Special discourses on the sacred epics are arranged in three places: (1) the platform in the Madhva-sarovara, (2) the room known as simhâsana in front of the seat known as the Madhva-pîTha and (3) in the candrashâlâ near the southern door of the shrine of Hanuman.
These arrangements are made so that the chanting of the sacred texts can be heard from the time the devotees take their bath in the Madhva-sarovara until they leave the temple after taking the darshana of Sri Krishna.
Apart from the châturmâsya, the chanting of sacred texts takes place every day in the chandrashâlâ. As well as this, special chanting takes place in the simhâsana. They also take place everyday throughout the year in the chauki during the time of the mid-day meal.
Sri Jayatîrtha's anniversary is celebrated in Udupi by the chanting of the Nyâya Sudhâ and his other works, and by lectures and discourses upon them. A special feast is also arranged.
The thread-renewal ceremony for those belonging to the clan known as Rg Vedî-s takes place on the shrâvaNa star day in the month of simha. Those who belong to Yajur Veda branch celebrate this on the full moon day of the month of simha. On the day of the star hastâ in the month of simha the men belonging to Sâma Veda branch celebrate their upâkarma. This usually comes in the lunar month of bhâdrapada.
The Krishna MaTha celebrates all these three upâkarma rituals. The people belonging to all these three branches and residing around the town of Udupi participa te in these rituals and wear new sacred thread.
The Rgupâkarma is celebrated in the Ananteswara temple and the Yajurupâkarma is (also) celebrated in the Chandramaulishvara temple.
Though the ceremony of changing the sacred thread does not apply to the Swamiji-s their ritual stick does have the sacred thread with it and hence it is to be changed. The Swamijis of Udupi perform this ritual on the day of Rgupâkarma.
This section is due to Raymond Crawford. Much of the material comes from a book published for the 1984 paryâya of H.H. Sri Vishwesha Tîrtha Swamiji, by Bannanje Govindacharya, U.P. Upadhyaya, and Muralidhar Upadhyaya.
Created May 21, 1996; last updated August 10, 2001.