Salagramidol

It is believed that the deity of Sri Krishna installed in Udupi by Sri Madhwacharya, was got made by Sri Krishna himself by Vishwakarma out of Saligrama stone (Shila). Towards the end of Dwapara yuga, Devaki felt a keen desire to see once again Krishna ’s balaleelas. These leelas which were enacted by Krishna for the benefit of his mother were also witnessed incognito by His wife Rukmini, who falling in love with this balaroopa requested Him to get her a similar image for her daily worship. Thereupon Sri Krishna asked Vishwakarma to make such an image of Balakrishna with a churn in its right hand and cord in the other hand. This deity was daily worshipped by Rukimini. After Sri Krishna’s disappearance from this world, the deity fell into the hands of Arjuna, who hid it in Rukmini’s garden. By lapse of time the deity got completely covered by ‘gopichandana’. A sailor from Dwaraka loaded this heavy lump in his boat ballast, in one of his trips along the west coast.