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Kanakana kindi
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Kanakana Kindi or Kanaka's Window is a small peephole in the Udupi Sri Krishna temple through which the great Indian saint Kanaka Dasa was given darshan by lord Krishna.
History
There are many popular legends regarding Lord Krishna's revelation to saint Kanaka Dāsa. We can unravel the mystery of this episode on the basis of the available historical documents as follows. Kanaka Dāsa came to Udupi as a pilgrim.
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Encyclopedia
Kanakana Kindi or Kanaka's Window is a small peephole in the Udupi Sri Krishna temple through which the great Indian saint Kanaka Dasa was given darshan by lord Krishna.
History
There are many popular legends regarding Lord Krishna's revelation to saint Kanaka Dāsa. We can unravel the mystery of this episode on the basis of the available historical documents as follows. Kanaka Dāsa came to Udupi as a pilgrim. Sri Vādirāja Tīrtha knew about this pious devotee of the Lord, and made arrangements for his stay in a hut in the roadside in front of the temple. Kanaka Dāsa used to play on his tambuura and sing in the hut, but the wall of the temple was there between the icon and himself. Being of a lower class, by tradition he was forbidden to enter the temple and have darshana of Sri Krishna. The wall of the shrine was, of course, a barrier to the physical eyes, but who could prevent the vision of his inner eyes? They were fully open and the Sri Krishna was visible to Kanaka Dāsa.
Some time passed and then one night there was an earthquake and a small crack appeared in the wall of the shrine. Through this crack Kanaka Dāsa was able to have darshana of the icon of Krishna. Sri Vādirāja Tīrtha became aware of this crack and of the fact that Kanaka Dāsa was using it to have darshana of Sri Krishna. Instead of having the crack plastered over, Sri Vādirāja enlarged it and turned it into a window. To commemorate Lord Krishna's darshana to Kanaka Dāsa, the window has been designated as 'Kanaka's window.'
From that time onward, Kanaka Dāsa could have the darshana of Sri Krishna with his physical eyes as well as his inner eye. To perpetuate this sacred memory, the tradition of looking at the icon of Sri Krishna through this window before entering the shrine was started.
Not only pilgrims, but even the piiThaadhipati-s of the eight Mutts who go to take charge of the temple at the time of paryaaya come in procession to this window. It is only after looking at the icon through this window that they enter the shrine. This tradition has been going on since the time of Sri Vādirāja.
The story that is current now is quite different. According to this story the icon of Sri Krishna was formerly facing East. Since Kanaka Dāsa was singing on the Western side of the temple, the icon turned to the West when Krishna was pleased with Kanaka Dāsa's devotion. This popular story, however, does not agree with the evidence available.
The architectural plan of the temple has been the way it is since the time of Sri Madhva. A portico for the distribution of sacred water and prasaada, a tuLasii plant, and discourse-hall -- all face the West. Hence it is quite unlikely that the icon alone was facing the East. The Eastern door, which is now closed and barred by Chenna Keshava, must have been the one used by the Swamijis to go out for ablution. Swamijis used to bathe in the sacred tank and enter the sanctum sanctorum through this door. Sri Madhva installed the icon of Krishna facing Westwards and that is why all the shrines of the eight Mutts have their icons facing West. More than anything else there is a reference in the commentary known as sanyaasa paddhati Tiike written by a piiThaadhipati of Bhandarakeri Mutt, Sri Surottama Tīrtha, who was a puurvaashrama brother of Sri Vādirāja. It states that Sriman Madhvacharya had established the icon facing the West. For these reasons, the story of Krishna's icon turning towards the West must be a later invention.
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