Village studies have dominated anthropological writing on India for a long time, though more recently, much has been written on the big cities. This study is original in focusing on a small-town bourgeoisie. Udupi, in South Kanara (north of Mangalore), was just a famous pilgrimage center, then an administrative unit, until the Gauda Saraswat Brahmins arrived there in the 1890s. They were instrumental in creating a flourishing market and town, and their businesses still form the core of the local economy. Written like a piece of local history, this book tells the story of the town from the perspective of these 'Business Brahmins', but it also presents an analysis of kinship, religion and community in a Brahmin caste.