Udupi: Preparations begin for 500th year of ‘Paryaya’

Udupi: Only a few days are left to mark the 500th anniversary of the biennial Paryaya at the Sri Krishna matha here.

It is believed that Sri Madhvacharya installed the idol of Sri Krishna at about 1300 CE on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti. Hence on this day, which falls on January 14 this year, the Paryaya is conducted.

Sri Madhvacharya had instructed his 8 disciple monks that each of them must conduct the poojas of the idol after every 2 months which was called Paryaya. Later Vadiraja Swamiji (1481-1601) changed the Paryaya to two years at about January 18, 1522 CE.

In 1532 CE, Vadiraja Swamiji himself undertook the Paryaya at the age of 52 and by the time he was 100 years old he had conducted four Paryayas. He is said to have left for the forest (Vanaprasthana) at the age of 120 in the year 1601 CE.

The Paryaya cycle begins with Palimaru matha and ends with Pejawara matha with the mathas of Adamaru, Krishnapura, Puttige, Shirur, Sode and Kaniuru falling in between them.

It takes 16 years for the Paryaya cycle to pass through all the 8 mathas once. The present Paryaya is the second matha’s (Krishnapura matha) 32nd cycle beginning on January 18.

A series of events have been planned for this 500th year of the Paryaya.

The ‘Saptotsava’ will begin from January 9 and will continue till January 14. The Bhojanaprasad, which was stopped since the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown began from March 22, will be resumed from January 10.

The Paryaya ceremony will be conducted from January 16 to 23.

Every day the eight mathas will be organising programs on their history and heritage.

The present Paryaya-holder Sri Adamaru matha’s Sri Eeshapriya Sripada Swamiji said that we have thought of conducting a meaningful 500th Paryaya with the cooperation of all.