Stamps Related to Tulunadu

Dr T M A Pai

Dr. Tonse Madhav Ananth Pai, (April 30, 1898 – May 29, 1979), was an Indian doctor, educationist, banker and philanthropist, most well known for building the university town of Manipal, Karnataka, India. He was first to start a private, self-financing medical college offering MBBS in India. Pai established the Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in 1953 and Manipal Institute of Technology in 1957, which was followed by a string of other education institutions including Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal College of Dental Sciences and Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He, along with his brother Upendra Pai, also established Syndicate Bank originally in Udupi, Karnataka, which has its headquarters now in Manipal and Bangalore. He was responsible for its popular Pigmy Deposit Scheme. Dr. T M A Pai was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1972. He was awarded the degree of D.Litt. by the Karnataka University in 1973 and the Andhra University in 1975.

The Government of India brought out a stamp commemorating Pai on October 9, 1999. Source:Wikepidia

Dr Shivaram Karanth

Kota Shivaram Karanth (10 October 1902 – 9 December 1997) was a Kannada writer, social activist, environmentalist, Yakshagana artist, film maker and thinker. Ramachandra Guha called him the "Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India, who has been one of the finest novelists-activists since independence". He was the third writer to be decorated with the Jnanpith Award for Kannada, the highest literary honor conferred in India. 

The Government of India brought out a stamp commemorating Karanth on October 10, 2003. Source:Wikepidia

Poet Kananka Dasa

Kanaka Dasa (1509 – 1609) was a poet, philosopher, musician and composer from modern Karnataka. He is known for his Kirtanes and Ugabhoga, compositions in the Kannada language for Carnatic music. Like other Haridasas, he used simple Kannada language and native metrical forms for his compositions.

Kanakadasa has a special association with Udupi as he was the follower of Vyasaraya Swamiji. On the request of Vyasaraya Swamiji of Vyasaraja Math he had come to Udupi. But it was an era when discrimination on the basis of caste was at its peak. The Brahmin priests would not let him enter the temple as he was from a "low" caste though Vyasaraya swamiji asked them to let Kanakadasa into the temple. Kanakadasa was outside the temple meditating on Lord Krishna and singing songs in praise of his Lord, Krishna. He did this for weeks, he is believed to have camped outside the temple for weeks cooking his own food and during this time he was so distraught, he composed poems in praise of Krishna and composed kirthanas (Poems) which are relevant even today about how all humans are equal, every one is born the same way physically, everyone shares the same water, same sun for their life on earth. Every Hindu temple and the deity in the Hindu temple always faces east. But in Udupi, Krishna, the deity faces west. It is believed that something unnatural happened those days, when Kanakadasa was outside the temple for days waiting to see Lord Krishna and waiting to be let into the temple. It is believed that the during those days,kanaka was not allowed to have darshan of krishna with devotion when he sang kirthanas temple wall fell down and the deity of Lord Krishna turned around and there was a crack in the outer walls of the temple through which the ardent devotee of Krishna, Kanakadasa was able to see his Lord. This left the orthodox community flabbergasted as to why something like this happened. Since then the Krishna deity has been facing west even though the main entrance has been facing east and this has remained a mystery every since. Today that window (commonly called as "Kanakana Kindi") stands as a tribute to Kanakadasa. Almost all devotees who visit Udupi Krishna temple try to have a peep at the deity through this small window wishing to relive the ecstasy, Kanaka had the divine ‘darshan’. It is also a memorial to Kanakadasa and a testimony to the eclectic Hindu belief that devotion, poetry and sainthood are above caste and creed and certainty above orthodoxy. It is said that Kanakadasa lived in a hut in this place in front of the “gopura”. Later, a small shrine was built in his memory and it came to be known as “Kanakana Kindi” or “Kanakana Mandira”. Source Wikipedia.

The Government of India brought out a stamp commemorating Kanaka Dasa on December26, 1990.

It depicts the poet in foreground with Udupi Krishna Temple in the background.