Udupi Anantheshwara Temple is a historic

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

dedicated to Lord Ananteshwara

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appear ...

(an avatar of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

). The Anantheshwara temple is located in

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The temple is a unique temple where

is worshipped in the form of Linga. Writer

Roshen Dalal Roshen Dalal (born 1952) is an Indian historian and writer of books for adults and children on the history of India and its religions. She has a PhD in Indian Ancient History. Roshen Dalal was born in Mussoorie and studied in various schools acr ...

says, "According to texts, the city formed part of Parashurama Kshetra, the area is said to be claimed by Parashurama from the sea. Legends state that a king name Ramabhoja worshipped Parashurama here in the form of Linga, which then manifests itself on a silver seat (rajata pitha). Thus in Sanskrit texts, the city is known as Rajata Pitha". The temple was renovated during the reign of the

Alupas The Alupa dynasty (ಅಳುಪೆರ್, ಆಳ್ವೆರ್) (circa 2nd century C.E to 15th century C.E) was an ancient ruling dynasty of India. The kingdom they ruled was known as ''Alvakheda Arusasira'' and its territory spanned the coa ...

in the 8th century C.E. and is considered among the oldest in the

Tulu Nadu Tulunad or Tulu Nadu, also called Bermere sristi or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Karnataka, proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural ...

region. Ananteshwara Temple is close to Chandramouleshwara Temple of Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. The temple is the oldest in Udupi managed by

Puttige Matha Puthige Matha (Kannada: ಪುತ್ತಿಗೆ ಮಠ) or Puttige Mutt in some records and literature is a Madhwa Vaishnava monastery. It is one of the Ashta Mathas of Udupi founded by Dvaita philosopher Madhvacharya of Udupi. The first ponti ...

, one of the

Ashta Mathas of Udupi The Tulu Ashta Mathas of Udupi ( kn, ಉಡುಪಿಯ ತುಳು ಅಷ್ಟ ಮಠಗಳು) are a group of eight ''mathas'' or Hindu monasteries established by Madhvacharya, the preceptor of the Dvaita school of Hindu thought with his di ...

. This is the place where Jagadguru Sri

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes Anglicisation, anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' ...

wrote many of his

Tattvavada Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta sub ...

scripts, taught it to his disciples and got adrushya (disappeared) to Badari to stay along with Lord Vedavyasa.

References

Temples dedicated to avatars of Vishnu 8th-century Hindu temples Parashurama temples Hindu temples in Udupi district {{India-Hindu-temple-stub