KANAKA'S WINDOW AND KANIKA'S WINDOW
“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” - Benjamin Franklin M y first memories about the revered Udupi Sri Krishna temple roll back to my primary-school days in Mangalore. Udupi, as many may know, is a stone-throw away from Mangalore (Now, Mangaluru). We had a story called ‘Kanakana Kindi’ in our text book. That seemed to be the reason why our school took the school kids to the famed centuries-old shrine in Udupi…yes, on an 'educational picnic'! Ever since then, I have been fascinated by this legend – ‘Kanakana Kindi’… Translated from Kannada, it means – ‘Kanaka’s Window’. This is how the legend goes… Kanakadasa (Dasa, in Kannada, means devotee) was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, who ceaselessly sang through his tambura (a string instrument) in devotion to Lord Krishna. Once, he had gone on a pilgrimage from his village to Sri Krishna tem...