Udupi District, Karnataka

Udupi (ಉಡುಪಿ), celebrated across the globe as the Temple City and the cradle of world-renowned Udupi Cuisine, is an enchanting coastal district nestled between the azure Arabian Sea and the verdant slopes of the Western Ghats. Universally renowned as the spiritual home of the historic Sri Krishna Matha founded by the 13th-century philosopher-saint Sri Madhvacharya, Udupi radiates divine devotion, pristine coastal beauty, and educational excellence.

Covering an area of 3,582 square kilometres, Udupi recorded a population of 1,177,361 in the 2011 Census of India, consistently ranking among the top districts in India for literacy, human development, and public healthcare. The district is also home to Manipal, an internationally acclaimed university town that pioneered private higher education in India.

From the geological wonder of St. Mary's Island with its hexagonal columnar basaltic rock formations to the holy Shakta shrine of Kollur Mookambika Temple, Udupi is a jewel of coastal Karnataka. Explore the taluks, Gram Panchayats, and villages below to discover comprehensive civic data.

Udupi's history is ancient, having served as a key region of Tulu Nadu governed by the Alupa dynasty from Barkur between the 2nd and 14th centuries CE. In the 13th century, the great philosopher-saint Sri Madhvacharya propounded the Dvaita (Dualistic) school of Vedanta philosophy and established the sacred Sri Krishna Matha in Udupi.

Sri Madhvacharya established the unique Ashta Mathas (eight monastic lineages) to conduct worship in rotation, a tradition that continues unbroken through the biennial Paryaya festival. In the 16th century, Haridasa saint Kanakadasa visited Udupi; according to revered lore, Lord Krishna turned to face west and created a window (Kanakana Kindi) through which Kanakadasa was granted divine darshan.

In modern history, visionary Dr. T. M. A. Pai transformed barren Manipal into an international educational and banking hub. Udupi was carved out as an independent district from undivided South Canara in August 1997.

Udupi is wedged between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east, bordered by Uttara Kannada to the north, Dakshina Kannada to the south, and Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru to the east across the Agumbe and Someshwara Ghats. The landscape features pristine sandy beaches, estuaries, mangrove channels, and lush foothill forests.

The district is drained by five major rivers: the Swarna, Sita, Varahi, Chakra, and Kubja rivers.

The administrative machinery of Udupi district is organized into several revenue taluks, each administered by a Tahsildar under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate. Local rural governance is delivered through three tiers of Panchayati Raj institutions: the Zilla Panchayat at the district level, Taluk Panchayats, and Gram Panchayats serving rural village clusters.

Explore the interactive taluk cards and accordion directory below to discover verified counts of Gram Panchayats, inhabited hamlets, and canonical revenue villages registered in the national Local Government Directory (LGD).

Udupi possesses a thriving economy powered by international higher education, healthcare, banking, commercial marine fisheries, and cultural tourism. Manipal is an international hub attracting thousands of students and researchers from over 60 countries.

Malpe is Karnataka's premier all-weather commercial fishing harbour, landing hundreds of tonnes of marine fish daily. The culinary hospitality industry, printing technology, and cashew processing provide substantial non-farm employment.

Agriculture along the coastal plains is characterized by multi-tiered plantation farming and paddy cultivation. Farmers harvest high yields of coastal paddy, coconut, arecanut, cashew nuts, and black pepper.

Udupi is world-famous for the Geographical Indication (GI) tagged Udupi Mattu Gulla, a distinctive green brinjal with light green stripes grown exclusively in the seaside village of Mattu, celebrated for its unique flavor and low seed content.

Udupi is world-renowned for Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), designated an Institution of Eminence by the Government of India, comprising Kasturba Medical College (KMC) and Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT).

The district consistently records over 86 percent literacy and regularly tops Karnataka in SSLC and PUC state board examination results.

The KarnatakaInfo.com database holds 1,112 school records for Udupi district (UDISE+). This dataset covers schools only; colleges and universities appear in the text above where verified.

• Primary with Upper Primary510
• Primary203
• Secondary Only133
• Pr. Up Pr. and Secondary Only127
• Secondary with Higher Secondary48
• Higher Secondary only/Jr. College47
• Pr. with Up.Pr. Sec. and H.Sec.20
• Upper Pr. and Secondary13
• Up. Pr. Secondary and Higher Sec6
• Upper Primary only5

School listings are available on each village and taluk page.

Udupi is a global medical hub led by the 2,000-bed Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, providing world-class tertiary medical care, cardiology, oncology, organ transplants, and trauma surgery, supported by District Hospital Udupi.

The database records 293 public health facilities in Udupi district. This is the dataset available on KarnatakaInfo.com and should not be read as a complete list of all hospitals.

• Immunisation Facility203
• PHC77
• CHC13

Udupi offers a remarkable variety of historical, cultural, and natural tourism destinations, spanning ancient stone temples, fortresses, scenic river ghats, and wildlife sanctuaries.

Visitors explore diverse heritage circuits across the district that showcase Karnataka's architectural excellence and natural splendour.

Udupi is the vibrant epicentre of Badagu Thittu Yakshagana, the northern style of traditional coastal dance-drama characterized by soaring jumps, magnificent headdresses, and intricate footwork. Bhuta Kola spirit worship and Nagaradhane are deeply revered spiritual traditions.

The biennial Paryaya festival, celebrated every two years in January, witnesses the ceremonial transfer of temple worship rights among the Ashta Mathas with grand midnight processions.

Udupi cuisine is universally celebrated as the gold standard of pure vegetarian gastronomy, famous worldwide for inventing the authentic Masala Dosa, Sambar, Rasam, and Bisi Bele Bath.

Local coastal specialties include delicate Neer Dosa, Goli Baje, Patrode (steamed colocasia leaf rolls), Kadubu, and fresh mango dishes.

The district boasts over 100 kilometres of coastline and rich Arabian Sea fisheries. Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary protect fragile evergreen rainforests.

Columnar basaltic rock formations at St. Mary's Island represent rare geological heritage.

Udupi is connected by the 4-lane National Highway 66 (Panvel-Kanyakumari corridor) and NH 169A. Udupi Railway Station is a major junction on the Konkan Railway with direct superfast express trains to Mumbai, New Delhi, Kochi, and Bengaluru.

Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) is located just 55 kilometres south of Udupi.

KarnatakaInfo.com brings together the administrative hierarchy of Udupi district: its taluks, Gram Panchayat counts and revenue villages. Each taluk has a village directory, and each village has a profile with Census population and literacy figures where available, land-use data, nearby schools, healthcare facilities, post offices, nearby tourist attractions and distances to the nearest bus and railway stations.