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{{Unreferenced|date=October 2010}}
'''Kanakana Kindi''' or '''Kanaka's Window''' is a small peephole in the [[Udupi]] Sri Krishna temple through which the great [[India]]n saint [[Kanaka Dasa]] was given [[darshan]] by lord [[Krishna]].
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
'''Kanakana Kindi''' or '''Kanaka's Window''' is a small peephole in the [[Udupi]] Sri Krishna temple through which the great [[India]]nIndian saint [[Kanaka Dasa]] was given [[darshan]] by lord [[Krishna]].
 
== History ==
There are many popular legends regarding Lord [[Krishna]]'s revelation to [[Kanaka Dasa|Kanakadasa]]. The most popular legend is that Kanakadasa came to Udupi as a pilgrim to visit the temple. [[Vadiraja Tirtha|Sri Vadiraja Tirtha]] had heard about this pious devotee of the Lord and made arrangements for his stay in a hut on the roadside in front of the temple. Kanaka Dâsa used to play on his [[Tanpura|tambura]] and sing in the hut, but he used to think of how the idol of Krishna would have looked like. Being of a lower caste, by tradition he was forbidden to enter the temple and have [[Darśana|darshana]] of Krishna. The wall of the shrine was in between the idol and Kanakadasa
Kanaka Dasa was a great devotee of Udupi Sri Krishna, once he came on a pilgrimage to Udupi, as he was Non-Brahmin, he was not allowed to enter the temple by [[Brahmin]] priests. Which to this day is remembered by the people of [[Karnataka]] as an insult by the priests on Non-Brahmins. It happened at the height of [[Muslim]] invasion of [[India]] and when the very survival of Hinduism was at stake. Kanaka Dasa was astonished by the behaviour of priests who behaved like the sole representatives of the god. So he began singing in the praise of the Lord, camping in a hut in front of Krishna Temple. So intense was the devotion of Kanaka Dasa, that without entering the shrine he was granted a sight of Krishna's image through a crack appearing on the western wall of the temple where he was camped. The statue of lord Krishna which was facing east is said to have turned towards west where Kanaka Dasa was camping.
 
When Kanakadasa secretly entered the temple, he was caught by the temple authorities without Vadiraja's knowledge. He was whipped and chained as a punishment, in front of the back wall of the sanctum. In desperate pain, he sang a song ''Baagilanu teredu, Seveyanu kodo Hariye'' (Open the door, O [[Hari]] and help me), When he finished singing, his chains snapped, an earthquake occurred and the wall exploded, shattering the bricks. The idol, which was traditionally facing the east, miraculously turned towards the west in front of Kanakadasa's face. Kanakadasa had the darshana of Krishna. Vadiraja got to know of the crack and instead of having the crack plastered over, he enlarged it and turned it into a window, knowing that once the idol has turned, it will never return to its original position. In memory of Kanakadasa, the window is named ''Kanakana Kindi'' (Kanaka's window)
== Irony ==
The Irony of the incident was that Kanaka Dasa belonged to [[Kuruba]] caste, the same as [[Vijayanagara empire|Vijayanagara]] Emperors. Harihara Raya and Bukka Raya of the same Kuruba caste were responsible for the survival of Hinduism in the whole of south [[India]], when they established the great Vijaynagar empire to protect [[Hindu]]s and Hinduism from the onslaught of [[Islam]]. The Vijaynagar Emperors were great patrons of Hindu culture and heritage and built many great temples in south India which stand to this day as a testimony of the contribution of Kuruba people to Hinduism.
 
According to [[Agama (Hinduism)|Agama Shastras]], Hindu temples and their idols are to be built, facing the east, since the east is considered auspicious as the [[Sun]] rises from the east. The Udupi Krishna temple is an exception, visitors enter from the East and go around to see the idol which faces West. A window with nine viewing apertures exists where the wall cracked and the idol is visible from the window. Due to Kanakadasa's incident, everyone, irrespective of their caste is allowed into the temple. A tradition goes that only after looking at the idol, the visitors and temple priests will enter the temple.
== The Window ==
It is believed that Sri Vadiraja Swami set up a window to commemorate this divine event. This window, with a trellis work of peep-holes is popularly known as Kanakana kindi (Kanaka's window). Peeping through this window, a pilgrim can have a ready flashing sight of Krishna's image without entering the temple. After this window was installed, it became customary for all devotees to catch a sight of [[Krishna]]'s image through this window, before entering the temple.
 
== The Window ==
== Scientific Reason ==
It is believed that Sri Vadiraja Swami set up a window to commemorate this divine event. This window, with a trellis -work of peep-holes, is popularly known as Kanakana kindi (Kanaka's window). Peeping through this window, a pilgrim can have a ready flashing sight of Krishna's image without entering the temple. After this window was installed, it became customary for all devotees to catch a sight of [[Krishna]]'s image through this window, before entering the temple, without having to walk through the whole temple to find the sanctum.
Many historians and scientists believe that a minor [[earthquake]] happened on the same day when Kanaka Dasa was refused entrance to the temple and a crack appeared on the western wall, with the idol of [[Krishna]] also making a westward tilt which allowed [[Kanaka Dasa]] to have a glimpse of the Idol.
 
==External links==
*[httphttps://64web.233archive.183.104org/search?q=cache:ioAnPnzfUsYJweb/20060517201033/http://www.udupipages.com/home/temple/kmutt1.html+Kanakana+Kindi&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=2 Udupipages]
*[httphttps://64web.233archive.183.104org/search?q=cache:r-PTz4iv43wJweb/20170413094541/http://www.kamat.com/indica/faiths/bhakti/kanakadasa.htm+Kanakana+Kindi&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=19 Potpuri]
*[httphttps://66web.249archive.93.104org/search?q=cache:s-HtcrPrAUMJweb/20160917220748/http://www.dvaita.org/madhva/udupi/kanaka.html+Kanaka%27s+Window&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=1 Dvaita]
 
[[Category:History of{{coord missing|Karnataka]]}}
 
[[Category:Hindu temples in Udupi district]]