Kanaka Daasa was a great musician born in a small village of Baada in Dharwad, Karnataka. He was born in the community of sheperds. His father was Beere Gowda and mother Bachhamma. Kanaka Daasa was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. His songs mesmerized everyone. But Kanaka Daasa was from a lower caste. In the Hindu society during those times, only the upper caste Brahmins were allowed to enter the temple.
Kanaka Daasa once traveled miles to see his favorite Lord Krishna of Udupi Temple. But to his despair, Kanaka Daasa was denied entry into the temple and he could not see the Lord Krishna’s idol. A famous song goes like this –“Baagilanu Teredu Seve yanu Kodo Hariye..” This is a plea from Kanaka Daasa to Lord Krishna –“Please open the door , give me an opportunity to see you and serve you Lord Hari.”. Kanaka Daasa used sing such songs near the temple window.
His prayers were accepted by Lord Krishna. The legend goes that one day, the beautiful ornamented statue of Krishna turned in its place to show itself to Kanaka Daasa who was waiting near the temple window.
Kanaka Daasa showed people that with music and faith, the impossible can happen. This wonderful event assured people of Kanaka Daasa’s faith and questioned their policy of letting only the upper caste inside of temple.
Even today the window is called Kanakana Kindi ( Kanaka’s window ). You can see the beautiful Krishna from this window even today.
Moral of the story: With single minded devotion and passion, impossible can be achieved. Don’t differentiate between people based on their status in society.
Udupi Temple in Karnataka