The short answer
Car Street (Rathabeedi): what visitors should know first
Yes, walk it before or after your temple visit; it takes 20-30 minutes on foot and needs no ticket. Go in the early evening when stalls are lit and busiest, or during a Rathotsava chariot festival if your dates allow, when the street becomes the main event.
Useful facts
Car Street (Rathabeedi) facts at a glance
- Location
- Outside Sri Krishna Matha's main gate, central Udupi
- Experience type
- Temple bazaar street and festival chariot route
- Known for
- Flower and religious-goods stalls, and the Rathotsava chariot pull
- Architect/Built
- Laid out alongside the matha; exact date not documented
- Time or schedule
- Open at all hours; busiest in early evening and during festivals
Why it matters
Why Car Street (Rathabeedi) is worth your time
Car Street is named plainly for what it was built to do: give the temple's ceremonial chariots, or rathas, room to move during festival processions, a practical piece of town planning that shaped Udupi's centre around Sri Krishna Matha rather than the reverse. Walking it is a quick way to understand how thoroughly the temple organises daily life here, from the shops it supports to the lodges built for pilgrims.
The street also sits at the edge of the Ashta Matha complex, so a walk along it naturally passes close to several of the eight monasteries associated with Madhvacharya's original foundation, making it a useful orientation point before deciding how much of the wider temple precinct to explore.
Highlights
What not to miss
- 01
The parked temple chariots
Large wooden rathas stored under cover partway down the street when not in festival use, worth a look even without an event on.
- 02
Flower and sweet stalls
Small shops selling temple flowers, camphor and traditional sweets, busiest in the early evening before aarti.
- 03
A Rathotsava pull
If your dates align, the street's main festival event, with chariots pulled by hand through large crowds.
Plan your visit
How to experience it
Car Street, known locally as Rathabeedi, runs from Sri Krishna Matha's main gopura out into the town, wide enough to take the temple's large wooden chariots during festival processions. On an ordinary day it functions as the temple's high street: shops selling flowers, camphor, brass items and religious pictures sit alongside sweet shops, tea stalls and simple pilgrim lodges, all within sight of the temple gate.
A slow walk down the street and back gives a sense of Udupi's temple-town rhythm that the sanctum queue does not: vendors setting up for the evening, families arriving for darshan, and the general unhurried business of a pilgrimage economy. Look up occasionally at the gopura and the parked chariots, kept under a shelter partway down the street when not in use.
If your dates coincide with a Rathotsava, usually held around major festivals in the temple calendar, the street becomes the site of one of Udupi's most visible public events, with the chariots pulled by hand through cheering crowds. Confirm current festival dates locally or with the temple, since they follow a lunar calendar and shift each year.
Plan with confidence
Small decisions that make the visit easier.
- Wear comfortable shoes; the street is walked barefoot only near the temple gate itself
- Check locally for Rathotsava dates if you want to see a chariot festival
- Keep to the pavement edges if a procession or vehicle passes
- Carry water in the hotter months, since shade is patchy at midday
Know before you go
Timing, access and comfort
- Area
- Directly outside Sri Krishna Matha's main entrance
- Time needed
- 20-40 minutes for a walk; longer during a festival
- Best time
- Early evening, or during a Rathotsava (chariot festival) date if you can time your visit to one
- Walking level
- Easy
- Senior comfort
- A flat, paved street with wide pavements and frequent shaded stretches under shop awnings; the main constraint is festival crowds, when the street fills and benches are scarce, so a quieter weekday visit suits older travellers better.
- Tickets and access
- No ticket is needed to walk the street. During a Rathotsava, arrive early to find a viewing spot, since the chariots and crowds fill the road for the pull.
Best for
Plan it with
Plan the practical part
Hotels near Car Street (Rathabeedi)
Staying close keeps journeys short — useful for early starts and for anyone who tires quickly.
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Travelling with parents?
A flat, paved street with wide pavements and frequent shaded stretches under shop awnings; the main constraint is festival crowds, when the street fills and benches are scarce, so a quieter weekday visit suits older travellers better.
Raahzo can arrange an arrival or day companion who handles tickets, queues and pacing, and keeps the family updated.
See concierge supportFAQs
What is Car Street?
The wide road outside Sri Krishna Matha, named for the temple chariots (rathas) that use it during festival processions.
Do I need a ticket to walk Car Street?
No, it is an open public street with no entry fee, though crowds build significantly during festivals.
When is the chariot festival held?
Rathotsava dates follow the temple's lunar calendar and change each year; check locally or with the matha for current dates.
Sources and further reading
Timings, fees and access rules change. Recheck with the official source before you travel.
