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LOCATION The maţha is in the temple town of Sringeri (also spelled ''Shringeri''), on the banks of river Tunga, in the Chikmagalur district of the Karnataka state, India. It is 190 kilometres from Mangalore. HISTORY The origin of the maţha is described in ''Śankāra Vijaya'', written by Madhava. According to legends, Śankāra and the pair reached Sringeri at an exceptionally hot noon, and as they proceeded to the river Tunga for their ablutions, they saw a frog struggling in the blazing sun to be delivered of its offspring. A cobra, the natural enemy of frog, raised its hood to provide the frog with shelter and protection from the ravages of the tropical sun. Śankāra was greatly moved by the sight. If there was paradise on earth, here it was, where the lion and the lamb, the tiger and the cow, the cobra and the frog lived in mutual amity and peace. He turned round when, as she had already stipulated, Bharati, known also as Sarada, decided to stay for good at Sringeri on the banks of the sacred river Tunga. Vishwarupa, assuming the name of Suresvaracharya, was installed here as the successor of Śankāracharya before the latter resumed his tour to found his three pithas at Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath. Thus the maţha traces its lineage from Suresvaracharya. The Sringeri maţha records its history from the 8th century onwards. The recent Sringeri maţha sources reported that Sankara was born in the fourteenth year of the reign of Vikramaditya. Some believe him to be the Vikramaditya II of the Western Chalukya Dynasty, which ruled from Badami in Karnataka. Others believe him to the Vikramaditya of the 1st century BCE. The history of the Sringeri Maţha since the period of Sri Bharathi Tirtha (I) and Sri Vidyaranya onwards is well documented. Most of the names from the Sringeri lineage up to Vidyaranya are also found in the ''Sri Guru Charitra'', a 15th-century Marathi work by Gangadhara Saraswathi. The maţha continues in existence to this day, and governs many institutions. HEAD OF THE MAţHA The head of the maţha is usually a Brahmachari ,educated in the Vedas. The existing head of the maţha decides upon a worthy disciple, initiates him as a Sannyāsin , and appoints him as the head. The present head of the maţha is Sri Bharati Theertha Swamigal . PHILOSOPHY AND TRADITIONS OF THE MAţHA The maţha gurus follow the philosophy of '', and worship God for many hours every day. They practice intense penance and meditation, which they believe helps in the control of the mind. They sustain themselves on an optimum diet and minimal sleep. They meditate on the Rudraksha beads and worship Shiva Linga every day. To an Advaitin, Shiva is Vishnu and Vishnu is Siva. Both are one and the same. The Sringeri gurus advocate that an individual must not merely revere a guru and listen to his teachings, but imbibe the good habits of the guru in their own life. Some of the things advocated by the gurus are: # Satvic habits which include vegetarianism, cleanliness, discipline, etc. # Regular worship of God and development of '' Bhakti ''. # Giving importance to learning and knowledge. # Good conduct, honesty, generosity, and adherence to scriptures. # Austerity and simplicity. # Love, respect, and responsibility towards one's family or community. # Destruction of pride and ego. The material world is considered as ''[[maya'', or temporary, like a dream, so they believe that one should be involved in the material world only in order to fulfill one's responsibility. Although they adhere to the teachings of Śankāra, they read other secular and religious works. They however do not advocate religious conversion, and believe that individuals must follow the religion of their own birth properly and correctly. FOLLOWERS OF THE MAţHA People of all Caste s visit the Śankāracharya, but the majority of devotees are Smartha Brahmin s of South India and Maharashtra . The maţha has a huge following, especially among the Vedic community. The successor of the maţha is chosen from the Vedic Brahmana s. ACTIVITIES OF THE MAţHA A number of Vedic schools and temples are maintained by the maţha. Besides this, the maţha also runs a hospital and a few colleges. It has established branches in many parts of India. The Sharadambal Temple at Sringeri is managed by the Sringeri maţha. There is also a library in Sringeri, with rare Sanskrit volumes, which is managed by the maţha. The maţha has also played an important role in preserving the natural beauty of Sringeri. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER MAţHAS AND INSTITUTIONS The maţha has enjoyed patronage from many kings and rulers. Its sage Vidyateertha was contemporary with the founders of Vijayanagar Empire, and the maţha was given lavish grants of land by the Vijayanagar Kings. Vidyaranya another maţha head, was himself the advisor to the Vijayangar King. Tipu Sultan , the famous Muslim ruler of Mysore , also respected the Sringeri Acharyas, and helped it to sustain itself. Even in modern times the maţha has had good relations with the State and Central Governments, as it has striven to be politically neutral and non-controversial. In Independent India, however, with the coming of land reforms, it has lost much of its traditional land, and at one time was struggling to maintain itself. With the increase in donation of NRIS , however, things have turned for the better. The maţha also enjoys good relationships with three other mutts, believed to have been founded by Śankāra. These mutts are located in Puri, Dwaraka, and Badrinath. There is also one another maţha in Kanchi, Kanchi Kamakoti Matha , which is also highly regarded by the Smartha Brahmins and other Hindus. Its abbot claims to be the fifth Śankāracharya, although most Hindus recognise only four. This maţha has slightly different traditions from the other mutts. Though it is not officially recognised by them, it has maintained its own traditions and influence. This maţha is equally popular among people, and has also done a lot of social work. Some people believe that this maţha was originally a branch of the Kudali Sringeri maţha, but for political reasons – the animosity between the Tanjore kings (in whose kingdom the Kanchi maţha was) and the Mysore king (in whose kingdom the Kudali Sringeri maţha was located) – the Kanchi maţha became independent. This probably happened at the time of Vidyashankara Swami, as he had to leave the maţha in a hurry and go to a safe place in the North with all the important documents and the shastras of the maţha so that the Muslim invader Malik Kafur would not be able to seize and destroy them. The Sringeri maţha devotees disagree with the date of Śankāra proposed by the Kanchi maţha. The Kanchi maţha claims that it originated in 509 BCE. Besides the Kanchi maţha, there is also a Kudali Sringeri Matha which claims that it is the original Sringeri maţha. This maţha is located in Kudali ,where the rivers Tunga and Bhadra meet. It claims that a particular guru of the maţha, Swami Vidyasankara, had left Kudali Sringeri, presumably for Kashi, during the invasion of Malik Kafur in 1310 CE, in order to escape from the wrath of the invader. In fact Swami Vidyasankara was already very old and nearing 100 years of age at that time, as he became the Acharya of the Kudali Sringeri maţha in 1229 and had been the Acharya of the matha for 81 years till 1310, when Malik Kafur invaded the area. As Swami Vidyasankara did not return for many years, Swami Bharati Tirtha, the younger brother of Vidyaranya, became the officiating new Acharya in 1328 CE, and he shifted the maţha to a politically safe place at Sringeri. As long as Swami Vidyasankara was presumed to be alive the Sringeri maţha was considered as a branch of the Kudali Sringeri maţha. As Swami Vidyashankara did not return till 1330, a new Acharya was installed at Kudali Sringeri according to the tradition. The claim of Bharati Tirtha as the natural successor to Swami Vidyasankara was ignored. Thus Bharati Tirtha stayed at Sringeri, and in 1333 he too declared himself the true successor of Swami Vidyasankara, saying that for three years from 1330 to 1333 Swami Vidyasankara was in Lambika Yoga in Sringeri. When Bharati Tirtha took samadhi in 1380 Swami Vidyaranya became the Acharya of the Sringeri maţha. At the time of Vidyaranya the new Srngeri maţha prospered and gained eminence due to royal patronage from the Vijayanagar empire. The claims of the Kudali Sringeri maţha are supported by the Kanchi maţha, but not accepted by the maţha at Sringeri. GURU PARAMPARA The list of Gurus given here, is as taken from the official site of Sringeri maţha. The dates refer to the period during which the maţha was governed by that particular guru. Guru Parampara (the lineage of Sringeri Jagadgurus) # Śankāra 788–820 CE (videhamukti) # Sureśvara 820–834 # Nityabodhaghana 834–848 # Jnanaghana 848–910 # Jnanottama 910–954 # Jnana Giri 954–1038 # Simha Giri 1038–1098 # Ishvara Tirtha 1098–1146 # Narasimha Tirtha 1146–1229 # Vidyashankara Tirtha 1229–1333 # Bharati Tirtha (I) 1333–1380 # Vidyaranya 1380–1386 # Chandrashekhara Bharati (I) 1386–1389 # Narasimha Bharati (I) 1389–1408 # Purushottama Bharati (I) 1408–1448 # Shankara Bharati 1448–1455 # Chandrashekhara Bharati (II) 1455–1464 # Narasimha Bharati (II) 1464–1479 # Purushottama Bharati (II) 1479–1517 # Ramachandra Bharati 1517–1560 # Narasimha Bharati (III) 1560–1573 # Narasimha Bharati (IV) 1573–1576 # Narasimha Bharati (V) 1576–1600 # Abhinava Narasimha Bharati (I) 1600–1623 # Sacchidananda Bharati (I) 1623–1663 # Narasimha Bharati (VI) 1663–1706 # Sacchidananda Bharati (II) 1706–1741 # Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati (I) 1741–1767 # Narasimha Bharati (VII) 1767–1770 # Sacchidananda Bharati (III) 1770–1814 # Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati (II) 1814–1817 # Narasimha Bharati (VIII) 1817–1879 # Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharati 1879–1912 # Chandrashekhara Bharati (III) 1912–1954 # Abhinava Vidyatirtha 1954–1989 # Bharati Tirtha 1989– EXTERNAL LINKS
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