Transportation
National Highway NH 66 passes through Udupi. Other significant roads include the State Highways to Karkala and Dharmastala and to Sringeri. The NH-66 provides a link to Mangalore and Karwar via Kundapur. Private as well as government buses connect Udupi to parts of Karnataka. Udupi has a railway station on the Konkan Railway. The nearest international airport to Udupi is Mangalore (Bajpe) Airport, which is 50 km away.
City and suburban transport is available for travel within Udupi and suburbs. The buses originate from the suburban bus stand (City Bus Stand). There are different route numbers.
The nearest harbour/port to Udupi is Malpe, which is 5 km away, and Gangoli (Kundapur), which is 36 km away. The New Mangalore Port/Harbour is 50 km away from Udupi.
Udupi Railway Station is managed by the Konkan Railways. It is about 4 km from Udupi city and is on the Thiruvananthapuram-Mumbai rail route. Direct trains are available to Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh. Cities like Mangalore, Ernakulam, Kollam(Quilon) etc. also connected with Udupi.
Art and Culture
Bhuta Kola, Aati kalenja, Karangolu, and Nagaradhane are some of the cultural traditions of Udupi. The residents celebrate festivals such as Diwali, Dusshera and Christmas. Folk arts like Yakshagana are also popular.
Rathabeedhi Geleyaru, a local non-profit organisation, was founded to encourage creative pursuits, especially those that keep alive the traditions of the region. Its primary focus has been drama.
Festivals
There are several festivals during which huge crowds of locals as well as outsiders gather in Udupi.
During the biennial Paryaya festival the temple management is handed over to the next Matha. Each of the Mathas is headed by a Swami, who will be in charge of the temple during his Paryaya. The Paryaya is held on 18 January on even years (like 2012, 2014 and so on), starting early in the morning at around 3 AM. During this festival there are tableaus from various groups which gather in Udupi. Festivals like Makara Sankranthi, Ratha Sapthami, Madhva Navami, Hanuma Jayanthi, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Navarathi Mahotsava, Madhva Jajanti (Vijaya Dashami), Naraka Chathurdashi, Deepavali, Geetha Jayanthi etc. are celebrated very grandly by Paryaya Mutt every year.
Krishna Janmashtami is held every year. During this festival groups of men wear "Pili Vesha (Tulu)/Huli vesha (Kannada)" Tiger costume and other costumes. They visit and collect donations from shops and houses around Udupi with a lot of enthusiasm among the participants and general public.
Bhajana Saptaha Mahothsava which is held in Sri Laxmi Venkatesh Temple. Saptaha means 7 days. During this time Bhajans are sung continuously day and night for 7 days. This event takes place every year during August starting from Nagara Panchaami till Dwadashi.
Rathothsava (chariot festival) is held in almost all occasions around Rathabeedi. During this time the ratha (chariot) of Lord Krishna is pulled by locals around Rathabeedi.
