Sri
Sharadamba Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Saraswati in
the holy town of Sringeri in Karnataka, India. The Sharadamba Temple at
Sringeri (Shringa giri in Sanskrit) is an 8th-century temple, founded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. It earlier housed a sandalwood statue
of Shardamba in a standing posture, which was installed by Adi Shankarachaya
until the Vijayanagara rulers and Sri Vidyaranya (12th Jagadguru) installed a
seated gold statue of Sri Shardamba in the 14th century.
Sringeri Sharada Peetham is one of the four mutts established
by Adi Shankara in different parts of the country. The Sringeri Sharada Peetha or Mutt is located
South of the Sri Sharadamba temple, across the Tunga river, in Narasimha
Vana. A foot bridge, called Vidyatheertha Setu connects the two sides.
Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher
and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. He is credited
with unifying and establishing the main branches of thought in Hinduism to make it more acceptable.
Sri Sharadamba Temple is a popular Hindu temple
dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi, located in the temple town of Sringeri on the
banks of River Tunga. The word Sringeri is derived from a Sanskrit word
‘Shrunga giri’ where Shrunga means the apex, peak or summit. It is an
8th-century temple, founded by Shri Adi Shankaracharya. Shankara on his way to
propagate Dharma across the country, established four mutts in the four corners
of India. They are Badrikasham, Jyotirpeetha in the North, Dwaraka’s Sharada Peetha
in the West, Puri’s Govardhan Peetha in the East, and Sringeri Sharada Peetha in
South.
The ancient temple of Sri Sharada, the presiding
deity of Sringeri has a glorious history that begins with the setting up of the
Dakshinamnaya Peetham by Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada. Originally it was an unpretentious
shrine with the statue of Sharada made of sandalwood, installed over the Sri
Chakra that Sri Adi Shankara carved on a rock. Subsequently Sri Bharati Krishna
Tirtha and Sri Vidyaranya had a temple built in the Kerala style, with timber
and tiled roof. Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha substituted the sandalwood idol with
the present gold statue of seated Sri Sharadamba.
Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati
raised the present structure in granite with polished granite wall round the
sanctum and Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati consecrated the new temple in May 1916.
Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha made several improvements in the temple. The
Mahamandapam has huge stone pillars exquisitely carved with deities like Durga,
Raja Rajeshwari, Dwarapalakas and Devis which are all sculpted according to the
Shilpa Sastras as practised in Tamil Nadu.
The legend of this temple says that Sringeri is a
place where Shankara saw a snake cowled as an umbrella to protect a pregnant
frog from the hot sun. As a piece of evidence to this, today, one can see a
sculpture called Kappe Shankara on the footsteps to the river Tunga.
It is believed that Lord Shiva gave a crystal
Chandramouleshwara Linga to Shri Adi Shankaracharya in the form of a blessing.
Even today, Chandramouleshwara Pooja is performed to the linga, every night at
8:30. The main temple is dedicated to Goddess Sharadambika who is believed to
be an incarnation of Saraswathi, also worshipped as Ubhaya Bharathi. The faith
here says that by worshipping Ubhaya Bharathi, one can receive the blessings of
Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu.
The temple is also famous for Aksharabhyasa. It is
a sacred ritual followed here where a kids in the age of 2-5 years are
initiated to learning. The parents of kids in the age of 2-5 years are given a
slate and chalk or alternatively, a plate of rice on which they pray to Goddess
Saraswati and the Guru to impart good knowledge and education to their
children.
Another major attraction of Sringeri temple is its
sacred Sringeri Mutt, also referred to as Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada
Peetham. The mutt follows the practices of Smartha tradition and the head over
here is known as Jagadguru. A person who sits in the divine Peetha of Mutt
carries the name Shankaracharya as a title.
In the year 1999, the present Jagadguru
Shankaracharya Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamigal, dedicated to Goddess Sharada a
Golden chariot worth Rupees one crore. On the event of golden jubilee
Vardhanthi (Birthday) of the Jagadguru, golden doors were installed and
inaugurated at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Sharada temple. The
gold covering to the door worth Rupees twenty four lakh is a marvelous piece of
art. The eight panels have the figures of Ashta Lakshmi inscribed on them.
Sringeri also hosts over 40 temples. The important
ones are Stambha Ganapathi, Sri Vidyashankara temple, Janardhan temple,
Harihara temple, and Kalabhairava temple to the East. The Vidyashankra temple
located next to Sharada temple is a perfect example of architectural marvel.
One can see 12 Zodiac pillars inside of it, called as Rishi Stambhas where 12
divisions of the Zodiac are engraved.
The Shringeri Sharada Suprabhatha was adopted by
the Shringeri Matha in the late 1970s by Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha
swamiji. The very famous Sree Sharada Suprabhata Stotram was composed by Veda
Brahma. Turuvekere Subrahmanya Vishweshwara Dikshith (also known as Sri. T. S.
Vishweshwara Dikshith) for the divine Shringeri Sharada Mata (God Mother).
Veda Brahma. T. S. Vishweshwara Dikshith was born
in Turuvekere, a small town in Tumkur district, and was the Sanskrit
professor in Maharaja College in the Royal kingdom of Mysore and
resided at Mysore. He was the Aasthana Vidwan of Alankaara Shasthra of
King Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur. Dikshith was a learned Sanskrit scholar
in several Vedas (Yajur Veda in particular) and specialised in
Ghana Krama — the essence of the Vedas. He composed the Sree
Srikanteshwara Suprabhata and Sree Chandramoulishwara
Suprabhata of Lord Srikanteshwara of Nanjangud and Sri Chandramoulishwara
temple in V. V. Mohalla, Mysore respectively along with Sree Sharada
Suprabhatha of Sringeri Sharada Peetham. He was a Ghana Pathi and had
mastered several shastras such as Alankara Shastra, Jyothishya
Shastra (astrology), Tarka, and Vyakarana (grammar) to name
a few. He received several awards and accolades from the Maharaja of
Mysore and the pontiffs of Sringeri Sharada
Peetham and Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam respectively for his
contributions to Sanskrit literature.
Since Sringeri is situated in the heart of
Chikmagalur district, it is naturally blessed with rich flora, greenry and water bodies.
The nearby attractions are Sirimane falls and Hanumanagundi Falls, a tourist spot. Mangalore is
the prominent city close to Sringeri. Deevotees can easily travel from Mangalore to Sringeri. Distance
between Mangalore and Sringeri by road is about 108 km. The nearest airport is
Bajpe in Mangalore. Tourist taxis are available and it takes about two-three
hours to reach this place.
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