Udupi temple on cusp of religious milestone with paryaya tradition

UDUPI: Udupi Krishna Temple is on the cusp of a religious milestone when it enters the 500th year of biennial paryaya system on January 18. Paryaya is a unique tradition of this temple that defines principles for transfer of exclusive rights to worship Lord Krishna, the presiding deity among the seers of ashta mutts of Udupi for a two-year period. At present, the temple is into the second paryaya in the 32nd paryaya cycle with each cycle lasting 16-years.
Earlier, the eight disciples of Sri Madhwacharya, chief proponent of dvaita school of Vedas, were given the rights to worship the presiding deity for two months.Sri Vadiraja Thirtha swami changed this to a biennial system on January 18, 1522. The 16-year cycle starts with Palimaru and ends with Pejavar mutts with Adamaru, Krishnapura, Puthige, Shiroor, Sode and Kaniyoor seers handling the second to seventh paryaya in that cycle.
Then seer of Palimaru mutt handled the responsibility of first biennial paryaya in 1522. Sri Vadiraja Thirtha, who got his turn in 1532, then aged 52 completed four paryaya cycles. In his fifth paryaya term, Sri Vadiraja Thirtha then a centenarian conducted the paryaya pooja at Sondhe near Sirsi during 1596-97. The seer passed away in 1601 at the grand old age of 120-years, according to records available with the Sri Krishna Temple authorities.
History of the temple dates back to early 1300 when it is believed that Sri Madhwacharya installed the idol of Lord Krishna in Udupi. It is also an ancient belief that the festival of Makar Sankranti is observed to mark this occasion. There is also mention that Makar Sankranti festival was observed in Sri Anantheshwara Temple in the Madhwa Vijaya. The festival this year will be the 499th Makar Sankranti that will be observed in this temple town.
To mark this historic occasion, Sri Eshapriya Thirtha swami of Paryaya Adamaru mutt on Saturday launched Saptotsava. The temple has also decided to relaunch the ‘bhojana prasad’ for devotees that was stopped on March 22, 2021 due to the nationwide lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic from January 10. Saptotsava will end on January 14 with Makar Sankranti festival and will be followed by choornotsava on January 15.
The temple authorities have also decided to celebrate stepping in to the 500th year of the paryaya with a series of activities from January 16 to 23. There will be discussions and other events that shed light on the entire history of the paryaya with focus on paryaya carried out by each of the ashta mutts, Sri Eshapriya Thirtha said, adding it will be the paryaya Adamaru mutt’s endeavour to make this a grand success with cooperation of all.