174. Mudarangadi

Mudarangadi is a modest suburban village in the southern part of Udupi Taluk. It is about seven km from Padubidri located on the Nadisal- Shirva road.
Mudara
The village Mudara-angadi carries the name of the person Mudara. The meaning of the word -a bit unusual in the current context- leads us to visualize the mindset of the people of agricultural-farming stage of human evolution some 3000 to 3800 years ago. The word 'mudara' means 'fertile soil'. It was a popular male name among early tribes for centuries until Sanskrit style of proper names became vogue(ca. 500 CE and thereafter).The name continued to exist among the present generation of natives and tribes until recently. The meaning shows that the nature(fertility) of the soil was of paramount importance during the time-period when agriculture played key role in shaping the destiny of the people.
Angadi
We have discussed the meaning of the word 'angaDi' earlier. Angadi was a bazaar or open shop(s) in the olden days that is now applied to protected shops within enclosures.
The legend prevailing among the locals of Mudarangadi helps us to visualize the nature of shops in the olden days. According to natives of the suburb, once upon a time a person called Mudara had an open shop under the shade of a tree on the roadside near the (present) St Francis School. The materials of the shop were kept for sale on a raised platform ('kaTTe') built around a tree.
The situation describes the word 'angadi' clearly: 'ang'(=open place) + 'aDi' (=under/ the shade of tree).

The ancient style of open shops under the shade of trees (angadis) have evolved into the present posh shops, well secured within fortified enclosures.

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