Ashta Mathas of Udupi
Encyclopedia
The Tulu Ashta Mathas of Udupi are a group of eight matha
s or monasteries established by Sri Madhvacharya
the preceptor of the Dvaita
school of Hindu thought. For each of the eight mathas, Sri Madhvacharya also appointed one of his direct disciples to be the first Swamiji. The names of the mathas and the first Swamijis are:
The ashta mathas are named after the villages in which they were originally located. Today, the mathas are situated in the temple town of Udupi. The mathas work to propagate the Dvaita philosophy. They also administer the famous Udupi Krishna Temple
by way of a formal rotation scheme called Paryaya
.
When the ashta mathas were formed, Sri Madhvacharya initiated the Swamijis of the mathas in pairs. Each pair of mathas is called Dwandva (literally, two or dual). In the event the current Paryaya Swamiji has difficulty performing his duties, the Swamiji from the Dwandwa matha takes over the responsibility. The four pairs of mathas are: Palimaru and Adamaru; Krishnapura and Puttige; Shirur and Sodhe; and Kaniyooru and Pejavara.
Matha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...
s or monasteries established by Sri Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
the preceptor of the Dvaita
Dvaita
Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....
school of Hindu thought. For each of the eight mathas, Sri Madhvacharya also appointed one of his direct disciples to be the first Swamiji. The names of the mathas and the first Swamijis are:
- Palimaru - Sri Hrishikesha Tirtha
- AdamaruAdamaruAdamaru or Adamaar is a village in the Udupi district of the state of Karnataka, India. The village houses one of the Ashta Mathas founded by Shri Madhvacharya, the Dvaita philosopher.The village can be reached by taking a left turn at Yermal on Udupi-Mangalore route on National Highway 17 while...
- Sri Narasimha Tirtha - KrishnapuraKrishnapura mathaThe Krishnapura Matha is a Madhwa Vaishnava monastery. It is one of the Ashta Mathas of Udupi founded by Dvaita philosopher Madhvacharya of Udupi. Krishnapura Monastery is currently headed by Vidyasagara Thirta.. The first swami of this monastery was Janardhana Thirta, who was one of the direct...
- Sri Janardhana Tirtha - PuttigePuttigeThere are three places named as Puttige in Karnataka. One of them is in the Udupi district and the other happens to be near Mudabidri and third one in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district....
- Sri Upendra Tirtha - ShirurShiroorShirur or Shiroor is a village in Udupi district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The national highway number 17 connecting Panvel to Eranakulam passes through this village...
- Sri Vamana Tirtha - SodheSodheSodhe or Sodha or Sonda is a village near Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in India. The place is also the headquarters of the Sodhe Matha, one of the Ashta mathas established by Sri Madhvacharya, the famous Dvaita philosopher...
- Sri Vishnu TirthaVishnutirthaVishnu Tirtha was the younger brother of the Dvaita philosopher Sri Madhvacharya. He was an ascetic himself and was the first Swamiji of the Sodhe matha. In addition, he also was the first Swamiji of the Subramanya matha.... - Kaniyooru - Sri Raama Tirtha
- PejavaraPejavaraPejavara is a village located in the Mangalore taluk of Dakshina Kannada, formerly known as South Canara or South Kanara, district of Karnataka, India. It houses one of the eight ashta mathas established by Madhvacharya, the Dvaita philosopher. It also houses a branch of the Krishnapura matha,...
- Sri Adhokshaja Tirtha
The ashta mathas are named after the villages in which they were originally located. Today, the mathas are situated in the temple town of Udupi. The mathas work to propagate the Dvaita philosophy. They also administer the famous Udupi Krishna Temple
Udupi Krishna Temple
Udupi Sri Krishna Matha is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to god Krishna located in the town of Udupi in Karnataka, India....
by way of a formal rotation scheme called Paryaya
Paryaya
"Paryaya" in Sanskrit means "alternative". It can be loosely meant as "Another".-Paryaya ritual at Udupi:Paryaya is a religious ritual which takes place every alternate year in Krishna Matha of Udupi...
.
When the ashta mathas were formed, Sri Madhvacharya initiated the Swamijis of the mathas in pairs. Each pair of mathas is called Dwandva (literally, two or dual). In the event the current Paryaya Swamiji has difficulty performing his duties, the Swamiji from the Dwandwa matha takes over the responsibility. The four pairs of mathas are: Palimaru and Adamaru; Krishnapura and Puttige; Shirur and Sodhe; and Kaniyooru and Pejavara.