86-630: Purvamnaya Sri Govardhana Pitham or Govardhan Math (ଗୋବର୍ଦ୍ଧନ ମଠ) is one amongst the four cardinal pithams established by the philosopher-saint Adi Shankara to preserve and propagate Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta , the doctrine of non-dualism . Located in Puri in Odisha , India , it is the Eastern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four pithams, with the others being the Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ (Karnataka) in
172-582: A prasutishala (maternity house), vaidya (physician), an arogyashala (health house) and a viprasattra (kitchen) with the religious center where people from all social background could be fed and cared for. The historical role of mathas as knowledge and services repository is attested in early Sanskrit texts, as well as many historical inscriptions found along the ruins of Indian temples and monasteries. For example, several stone inscriptions in Sanskrit and Western Chalukya era Kannada have been found near
258-644: A Shaiva matha , for example, dates to around 800 CE, which was attached to a temple. It hosted scholars and students for theosophical studies. Another inscription from about 1100 CE, states Hartmut Scharfe, attests that a matha was the center of medieval medical studies ( Charaka Samhita ) and of Vedic grammar in Tamil Nadu. Madhvacharya , the founder of Dvaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, studied in an Advaita Vedanta monastery, but found Advaita unconvincing, and launched theistic Dvaita school of Vedanta interpretation, establishing Mathas (monasteries) by
344-595: A disciple named in Bharati's will, was installed by Anhinava Sachchindananda Tirtha of Dwarka. Niranjana Deva Tirtha became known for his unpopular political views affecting the Hindu people. In 1992, he stepped down after nominating Nischalananda Saraswati as his successor. Nischalananda Saraswati was born in Darbhanga in 1943, the son of the raj-Pandita of Maharaja of Darabhanga . He decided to enter sanyasa while being
430-752: A militant group, trained in arms, rebelled against Islamic rule and at times cooperated with the British colonial officials as mercenaries. Known for his egalitarian views in a time of political uncertainty and Hindu-Islam conflicts, Ramananda and his matha accepted disciples without discriminating anyone by gender, class, caste or religion (he accepted Muslims). Traditional scholarship holds that his disciples included later Bhakti movement poet-sants such as Kabir , Ravidas , Bhagat Pipa and others, however some postmodern scholars have questioned some of this spiritual lineage while others have supported this lineage with historical evidence. His ideas also influenced
516-595: A place for teaching the six systems of philosophy—namely the Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Mīmāṃsā, Sāṃkhya, Buddhist, etc.; a place for teaching the treatises on Yoga— namely the Lākulasiddhānta, the work of Patañjali, and others; a place for various [branches of] learning (vividhavidyāsthāna), such as the 18 Purāṇas, the Dharmaśāstras, all Kāvya compositions, drama, dance, and so on; a place for the provision of food (annadā- nasthāna) to
602-676: A pontiff, who is considered to be an authority on Saiva Siddhanta. Aadheenams are from the Vellalar community who are devout followers of Shaiva Siddhanta . Vellalars are a traditionally farmers and landowning community found in Tamil Nadu with a strong tradition of education and scholarship. There is also a Hawaii Adheenam , established by Srilankan Tamil immigrants in Hawaii. Nagarathars are also followers of Saiva Siddhanta. The history of Aadheenams in South India can be traced back to
688-580: A range of names such as Jogi (Yogis), Natha , Darshani , Kanphata of Gorakshanath sampradaya . Shaiva Siddhanta is a theistic school of Shaivism based on dualism (human soul and God are different), and it established matha at least from the middle of 1st millennium CE. Archeological evidence dated to 724 CE suggests the existence of an influential Saiva Siddhanta matha named after Mattamayura . Other historical evidence suggests that these Shaiva monks were active in Shaiva theosophical scholarship and
774-556: A scholar variously dated to be from 11th to 13th century, proposed a compromise that was inclusive of all Vedanta schools, stating that everyone is right, that truth is simultaneously Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita at the same time, calling his philosophy as Dvaitadvaita or Bhedabheda system. He moved to Vrindavan-Mathura, and launched a matha centered around loving devotion to Radha-Krishna (Radheshyam) worship. This group emphasized togetherness of community, public singing and constant bhakti. The Mathas of this group are: Ramananda
860-648: A student in the Tibbia College and spent time studying the shastras at Kashi, Vrindavan , Naimisharanya , Shringeri etc. In 1974, he took diksha from Swami Karpatri who gave him name Nischalananda. On 11 February 2018 silver jubilee (25th anniversary) of the pattabhisheka (coronation) of Swami Nischalananda Saraswati was celebrated in Puri in the presence of chief minister of Orissa Naveen Patnaik , former Nepal king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb of Puri. The Samudra Arati
946-509: Is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism . An alternative term for such a monastery is adheenam . The earliest epigraphical evidence for mathas related to Hindu-temples comes from the 7th to 10th century CE. The most famous Advaita Vedanta mathas or peethams , which came to be affiliated with the Advaita tradition in
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#17327768606241032-502: Is a daily tradition started by the present Shankaracharya 9 years ago. The daily practise includes prayer and fire offering to the sea at Svargadvara in Puri by disciples of the matha. On Paush Purnima of every year the Shankaracharya himself comes out to offer prayers to the sea. Matha Traditional A matha ( /mʌt/ ; Sanskrit : मठ , maṭha ), also written as math , muth , mutth , mutt , or mut ,
1118-541: Is a monastery, often with numerous students, many teachers and an institutionalized structure to help sustain and maintain its daily operations. Their organization is more sophisticated than an Ashrama or Gurukul which is usually boutique and caters to a smaller group of students. A matha , like a college, designates teaching, administrative and community interaction functions, with prefix or suffix to names, with titles such as Guru , Acharya , Swami and others. In Lingayat Shaiva mathas for example, teachers are Gurus ,
1204-557: Is an active Shaivism monastery named after the medieval saint, Gorakhnath of the Nath sampradaya. The matha and town of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh is named after him. The monastery and the temple performs various cultural and social activities and serves as the cultural hub of the city. The monastery also publishes texts on the philosophy of Gorakhnath. Raj Darbhanga The Darbhanga Raj , also known as Raj Darbhanga and
1290-548: Is in Kanchi, from the 4th-century CE. The matha tradition of Hinduism attracted royal patronage, attracting endowments to support studies, and these endowments established, states Hartmut Scharfe, what may be "the earliest case on record of a university scholarship". Some of these medieval era mathas of Hinduism in Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Kerala and Tamil Nadu , were for Vedanta studies, but some mathas from
1376-705: Is one of the legendary monasteries in the Nath tradition which attracted converts from Buddhism and infusion of Buddhist ideas into Shaivism, and it continues to be a part of the Nath Shaiva tradition, particularly during the Kumbh Mela celebrations in modern times. The Nath Siddha tradition of Shaivism is credited with establishing numerous Shiva Hindu temples and monasteries, particularly in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, north Bihar, and Nepal. The Gorakhnath matha
1462-472: Is one's spiritual guide, who helps one to discover the same potentialities that the guru has already realized. The guru concept is traceable to ancient Vedic times, found in traditional schools as well as a matha . The oldest references to the concept of guru are found in the earliest Vedic texts of Hinduism . The guru , and gurukul – a school run by guru , were an established tradition in India by
1548-436: Is someone who is a " teacher , guide or master" of certain knowledge. He or she is someone more than a teacher, traditionally a reverential figure to the student, with the guru serving as a "counselor, who helps mold values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge, an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student." The term also refers to someone who primarily
1634-643: The Vishishtadvaita philosophy include Parakala Matha at Mysore , Karnataka; Ahobila Matha at Ahobilam , Andhra Pradesh ; and Srimad Andavan Ashramam at Srirangam , Tamil Nadu. Other major and influential mathas belong to various schools of Hindu philosophy, such as those of Vaishnavism and Shaivism. The monastery host and feed students, sannyasis (monks, renouncers, ascetics), gurus and are led by acharyas . These monasteries are sometimes attached to Hindu temples and have their codes of conduct, initiation and election ceremonies. The mathas in
1720-581: The British Raj caused them to lose control of the territories that were in Nepal but, nonetheless, their holdings were considerable. One estimate suggests that when their rule came to an end, the territories comprised around 6,200 square kilometres (2,400 sq mi), with around 4500 villages. The area that now comprises the northern part of the Indian state of Bihar was under a state of lawlessness at
1806-627: The Khandwala dynasty , was a Maithil Brahmin dynasty and the rulers of territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region , now divided between India and Nepal. The rulers of Raj Darbhanga were Maithil Brahmins and their seat in the town of Darbhanga became the core of the Mithila region as the rulers were patrons of Maithil culture and the Maithili language . At its peak,
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#17327768606241892-664: The Kshatriya surname of Singh and also made use of force when it came to pursuing their interests. They defended their domains against raiders from Nepal and fought battles against local Rajput Rajas. The Raj Darbhanga also made the Senas of Makwanpur in Nepal their subordinates with the Senas having to pay tribute to the Rajas of Darbhanga. The Raj Darbhanga used its military to help
1978-647: The Southeast Asian and Tibetan regions, are also considered spiritual territory of the math. Puri , Prayagraj , Gaya and Varanasi are some of the holy places under this Math. According to tradition, as established in the 13th-15th century, Govardhana matha is one of four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankara (c. 8th century CE), regarded by later tradition as the reviver of Vedic Hinduism . Shankara's four principal disciples, Padma-Pada , Hasta-Malaka , Vartika-Kara or Sureshvara and Totakacharya were assigned to these four learning centers in
2064-517: The 10th-century attached medical care along with their religious and educational roles. This is evidenced by various inscriptions found in Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere. An inscription dated to about 930 CE states the provision of a physician to two matha to care for the sick and destitute. Similarly, a stone inscription in Andhra Pradesh dated to about 1262 CE mentions the provision of
2150-657: The 13th century, with its matha headquarters in Gorakhpur , Uttar Pradesh. Many of their mathas are found in the northern, central and western states of India particularly in the Himalayas, but archeological inscriptions suggest their mathas existed in south India as well. The early Nath monks received endowments in Karnataka, for example, between the 10th and 13th century, which later became a temple and Shaiva matha hub for them near Mangalore . The Kadri matha, for instance,
2236-566: The 14th century, are Govardhanmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ at Puri , Odisha ; Śārada Pīṭhaṃ at Sringeri , Karnataka ; Kalika Pīṭhaṃ at Dvāraka , Gujarat ; Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ at Badari , Uttarakhand ; and Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at Kanchi , Tamil Nadu . The most famous and influential Dvaita Vedanta mathas or peethams are Ashta Mathas at Udupi , Karnataka; Uttaradi Matha at Bangalore , Karnataka; Vyasaraja Matha at Sosale , Karnataka; and Raghavendra Matha at Mantralayam , Andhra Pradesh. Famous mathas or peethams professing
2322-643: The 14th century, to propagate Shankara's view of Advaita. According to another tradition in Kerala, after Sankara's samadhi at Vadakkunnathan Temple, his disciples founded four mathas in Thrissur, namely Naduvil Madhom , Thekke Madhom, Idayil Madhom and Vadakke Madhom. Other Advaita Vedanta mathas following Smarta Tradition include: Shaiva mathas were established at least from the 1st millennium onwards, in Kashmir, Himalayan regions such as Nepal and throughout
2408-469: The 18th and 19th centuries. They were instrumental in the revival of Saiva Siddhanta philosophy during the 19th century, and they also played a major role in the Indian independence movement. Aadheenams continue to play an important role in South Indian society today. They are centers of learning and spirituality, and they provide social services to the community. Aadheenams are an important part of
2494-668: The 1st millennium BCE, and these helped compose and transmit the various Vedas , the Upanishads , texts of various schools of Hindu philosophy , and post-Vedic Shastras ranging from spiritual knowledge to various arts. The mathas hosted these teachers and their students as they pursued their studies. By about mid 1st millennium CE, archaeological and epigraphical evidence suggest numerous larger institutions of gurus existed in India, some near Hindu temples, where guru-shishya tradition helped preserve, create and transmit various fields of knowledge. The first epigraphical evidence of
2580-460: The 6th century CE. The first Aadheenam was founded by the Hindu saint Appar , who is considered to be one of the three Nayanars, or great saints, of Saiva Siddhanta. The other two Nayanars were Sundarar and Tirugnanasambandar . Aadheenams flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries, during which time they played a major role in the spread of Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. Aadheenams continued to play an important role in South Indian society during
2666-659: The 700 to 1000 CE period predominantly focussed on Shaivism, Vaishnavism, military, martial arts, music, painting or other fields of knowledge including subjects related to Buddhism and Jainism. There is evidence, states Hartmut Scharfe, of mathas in eastern and northern India from 7th century CE onwards, such as those in Kashmir , Uttar Pradesh particularly in the Hindu holy city of Kashi , Madhya Pradesh , Bihar and Odisha , but these are not from ancient temple inscriptions, but implied from traveller records (Chinese) who visited these regions. Brahmins were likely involved in
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2752-744: The Advaita leaning of the Sannyasa Upanishads , the major monastries of the early medieaval period belonged to the Advaita Vedanta tradition, preserving and possibly adapting the Sannyasa Upanishads with their Advaita leaning. Mathas , as simple huts for wandering ascetics, are mentioned in chapter 12.139 of the Mahabharata and section 3.1 of Baudhayana Dharmasutras . Matha-s were regionally known by other terms, such as Ghatika-s and Khandika-s . The oldest verifiable Ghatika for Vedic studies, from inscription evidence
2838-470: The British and kept trying to be accorded gun salutes and other privileges but it never materialised. Rulers of Darbhanga included: Darbhanga has several palaces that were built during the Darbhanga Raj era. They include Nargona Palace , which was constructed after the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake and has since been donated to Lalit Narayan Mithila University , and Lakshmivilas Palace . which
2924-965: The Deccan region under Kakatiya dynasty sponsorship, many of which were destroyed in Hindu-Muslim wars that ended the Kakatiya rule. The origins of Golaki matha of central India has been traced to more ancient monasteries in Kashmir. In Karnataka, historical evidence suggests that Queen Alhanadevi established the Shaiva monastery called Kodiya matha which included a temple, monastic lodging and study hall, with scholarship on Vedas, Shastras and Puranas . The Chola dynasty sponsored many influential Shaiva mathas. While many Shaiva monasteries had attached temples, some did not and were entirely dedicated to education and scholarship. Adheenams are ancient Tamil Saiva Siddhantha monasteries and mutts in South India and Srilanka. Aadheenams are typically headed by
3010-578: The Hindu tradition have not been limited to religious studies, and historical evidence suggests that they were centers for diverse studies such as medieval medicine, grammar and music. The term matha is also used for 'monastery' in Jainism , and the earliest monasteries near Jain temples are dated to be from about the 5th-century CE. Matha (Sanskrit: मठ) refers to 'cloister, institute, or college', and in some contexts refers to 'hut of an ascetic, monk or renunciate' or 'temple for studies'. The root of
3096-644: The Nawabs of Bengal in suppressing rebellions from Bettiah , the chieftains of the Terai and Banjaras although the Rajas of Darbhanga themselves still refused to pay taxes or tribute to the Nawabs. In 1750, Alivardi Khan of Bengal sent a force against Narendra Singh of Darbhanga following his refusal to remit revenue however this force was defeated. The descendants of Mahesh Thakur gradually consolidated their power in social, agrarian, and political matters and came to be regarded as kings of Madhubani . Darbhanga became
3182-492: The Rajput Rajas of Tirhut . As per local tradition, Akbar summoned Rajpandit Chandrapati Thakur to Delhi and asked him to name one of his sons who could be made caretaker and tax collector for his lands in Mithila. Chandrapati Thakur named his middle son, Mahesh Thakur , whom Akbar then declared as the ruler of Mithila on the day of Ram Navami in 1557. Akbar had been impressed with his "great erudition". Henningham
3268-613: The Shiva temple and monastery in a village near Dharwad district (northwest Karnataka–Maharashtra border). These slabs have been dated to between 1094 and 1215 CE. One of these includes the role of Kodiya–matha – also referred to as the Dakshina Kedarasvera matha . It states: There is the Kōḍiyamaṭha, the place of Dakṣiṇakēdāra (dakṣiṇakēdārasthāna), location of a beautiful field of crops [which are] like hairs bristling for
3354-746: The South, Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, Badari Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North .It is associated with the Jagannath temple. Their Vedantic mantra or Mahavakya is Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is supreme being) and as per the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara it holds authority over the Rigveda . The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya , the title derives from Adi Shankara . The deities here are Jagannath ( Vishnu ) and
3440-479: The administrative functions the responsibilities of Acharyas, and the community relations of Swami . A similar organization is found in Vaishnava mathas . The word Acharya in Hindu monastic tradition refers to either a Guru of high rank, or more often to the leader of a monastery and sampradaya (teaching institution, denomination). This position typically involves a ceremonial initiation called diksha by
3526-601: The city of Jyotirmaṭh (also known as Joṣīmaṭh). Padmapadacharya became the first leader of the math. The matha has historical connections with the Jagannath temple, which is also located in Puri. It is called the Govardhanatha Math, and has sub-location called the Shankarananda Math. Here is the complete list of Shankaracharyas of Govardhana Mutt . Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha , who was then
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3612-406: The colonial era scholars trying to rediscover historic Indian literature. The four major Advaita mathas state in their founding documents that the respective responsibility of the mathas was to preserve one Veda each. Some Hindu monasteries offered hospice care for pilgrims and various forms of assistance to their local communities. Hindu mathas and temples – like Buddhist monasteries – had by
3698-603: The dynasty encompassed over 4000 square miles (10,360 km ) and is described as the "largest and richest of the North Bihar zamindaris and one of the greatest zamindaris of British India ". Despite not being recognised as a princely state by the British Raj, Darbhanga was larger and held more magisterial powers than many princely states, particularly those in Western India. The region was highly prosperous until
3784-785: The early 13th century. There are twenty four Madhva mathas set up all over India , including those in Udupi. The twelve Mathas that are descended through Madhvacharya's direct disciples, Adhokshaja Teertha, Hrishikesha Teertha, Narasimha Teertha, Upendra Teertha, Rama Teertha, Vamana Teertha, Janardhana Teertha and Madhva's brother Vishnu Tirtha in Tulu region are the Pejawara Matha , Palimaru Matha, Adamaru Matha, Puttige Matha, Sodhe Matha, Kaniyooru Matha, Shiroor Matha, Krishnapura Matha , Bhandarakeri Matha, Subramanya Matha, Chitrapura Matha, Bhimanakatte Matha. Out of these twelve Madhva Mathas,
3870-425: The education and oral culture of textual transmission in ancient India through the gurukul tradition, but inscription evidence collected by E. Hultzsch suggests that at least some matha attached to temples were dominated by non-Brahmins by the early 2nd millennium CE. The mathas and attached temples routinely hosted debating, Vedic recital and student competitions, and these were part of community festivals in
3956-693: The end of the Tughlaq Dynasty . The Tughlaq had attacked and taken control of Bihar and from the end of the Tughlaq Dynasty until the establishment of the Mughal Empire in 1526 there was anarchy and chaos in the region with various Rajput clans fighting for power. Akbar , the Mughal emperor, realised that taxes from Mithila could only be collected if there was a king who could ensure peace there and by 1574 he had succeeded in defeating
4042-556: The end of the 18th century, the Sarkar of Tirhut was practically an independent kingdom until the conquest of Bengal and Bihar by the British. The Raj Darbhanga was also much larger when compared with many of the princely states in Western parts of India, many of whom only contained a population of 200 people. These princely states also lacked the magisterial powers that Raj Darbhanga had. Its annual income of approximately 4 million rupees
4128-523: The estate was impartible and succession was to be governed by primogeniture. Zamindari estates in the region, including Darbhanga, sought intervention from the Court of Wards from time to time because the stewardship of the British authorities, who invested funds wisely, had a tendency to boost their economic position. The estate had in any event been badly run prior to this time: a complex system influenced by both nepotism and sycophancy had dramatically affected
4214-545: The fabric of South Indian society, and they continue to play a vital role in the Hindu faith. Some of the most famous Aadheenams includes The Nath tradition is a syncretic Yoga and Vedanta schools of Hindu philosophy based Shaiva tradition, that reveres Shiva and Dattatreya . Its founding is attributed to the ideas of Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath , developed further with an additional seven other Siddha Yoga Gurus called "Naths" (literally, lords). The Nath Yogi sampradaya and monastic organizations grew starting with
4300-446: The family's rental income. The bureaucratic system introduced by the Court, whose appointed officials had no ties to the area, resolved the issue although, being focussed entirely on what was best for the owners, it did so without considering the consequences for the tenants. Towards the end of the 19th century, 47 percent of the cropped area of the Darbhanga estate was used for the cultivation of rice. Three percent of total cultivation
4386-888: The first eight are referred to as Ashta Mathas of Udupi . These eight surround the Anantheswara Krishna Hindu temple . These mathas are laid out in a rectangle, the temples on a square grid pattern. The monks in the matha are sannyasis , and the tradition of their studies and succession ( Paryaya system) were established by Madhvacharya. Along with twelve mathas, there are ten mathas that are descended through Madhvacharya 's direct disciples, Padmanabha Tirtha , Narahari Tirtha , Madhava Tirtha , Akshobya Tirtha and Akshobya Tirtha's disciple Jayatirtha . They are Uttaradi Matha , Vyasaraja Matha , Raghavendra Matha , Sripadaraja Matha, Kanva Matha, Baligaru Matha, Kudli Matha, Tambehalli Matha (also known as Majjigehalli Maṭha), Kundapur Matha, Sagarakatte Matha. Out of
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#17327768606244472-621: The founding of Sikhism in 15th century, and his teachings are included in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib . Shri Ramcharitmanas is a key text of this matha . While Shankara is traditionally regarded as the founder of the most famous monasteries in Hinduism, there are no records of those mathas before the 14th century. In the 14th century, the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire started to patronize Sringeri matha . In
4558-499: The function of mathas to include feeding the poor and devotees who visit, hosting marriages and community festivals, farming temple lands and flower gardens as a source for food and worship ingredients, being open to pilgrims as rest houses, and this philanthropic role of these Hindu monasteries continues. In the 15th-century, these monasteries expanded by establishing Ramanuja-kuta in major South Indian Sri Vaishnavism locations. Some Srivaishnavism monasteries include: Nimbarka ,
4644-595: The goddess is Vimala (Bhairavi). There are Shri Vigrahas of Govardhananatha Krishna and Ardhanareshvara Shiva installed by Adi Shankara. The whole of the Eastern part of the Indian subcontinent is considered as the territory of Sri Govardhan Peeth. This includes the Indian states of Bihar , Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh , Andhra Pradesh till Rajamundry, Odisha , West Bengal , Assam , Arunachal Pradesh , Manipur , Nagaland , Sikkim , Meghalaya , Telangana , Tripura , Mizoram , and Uttar Pradesh till Prayag. The countries Nepal , Bangladesh , and Bhutan as well as
4730-663: The headquarters at Kanchi matha . Dwarka in the West, Jagannatha Puri in the East, Sringeri in the South and Badrinath in the North. Each math was headed by one of his disciples, called Shankaracharya, who each independently continued the Advaita Vedanta Sampradaya. The ten Shankara-linked Advaita monastic orders are distributed as follows: Bharati, Puri and Saraswati at Sringeri, Aranya and Vana at Puri, Tirtha and Ashrama at Dwarka, and Giri, Parvata and Sagara at Badrinath. According to tradition, each math
4816-463: The history of South Asia. These mathas were also the centers where many new texts were composed, as well as the libraries and repository of ancient and medieval manuscripts, where the old texts were preserved and decaying copies replaced over the centuries. The Thiruvavaduthurai Adhinam – a Shaiva matha about twenty kilometers northeast of Kumbhakonam , for example, was a major source of preserved palm-leaf manuscripts of ancient Tamil literature for
4902-686: The largest monastic Hindu renunciant community in modern times. The monasteries of these ascetics are found particularly in the northern and western states of India, in Nepal, but they are also found as wandering monks. The largest mathas of the Ramanandi tradition are in Ayodhya and Varanasi , and Ramanandi monks are also known as Bairagis or Vairagis (literally, detached ones), their groups called Akharas . The Ramanandi mathas are historically notable for being part of warrior ascetics movement in medieval India, where monks metamorphosed into
4988-560: The late 15th century, the patronage of the Vijayanagara kings shifted to Vaisnavism. Following this loss of patronage, Sringeri matha had to find others means to propagate its former status, and the story of Shankara establishing the four cardinal mathas , as cast in the wholly legendary digvijaya genre, may have originated in the 16th century. These Advaita mathas have hosted the Daśanāmi Sampradāya under five Maṭhas, with
5074-406: The late 1990s. The Khandaval dynasty were Maithil Brahmins who came into prominence in the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar . The extent of their lands, which were not contiguous, varied over time, and by the British era, their area of ownership was smaller than the area that they were granted under earlier sanad arrangements. A particularly significant reduction occurred when the influence of
5160-417: The leader at the Dwarka Math, assumed the leadership position at the Govardhan Math in 1925; Shankara Purushottama Tirtha supervised the Math on his behalf while he visited the Self Realization Fellowship in the USA. After Bharati attained Mahasamadhi in 1960, Yogeshwarananda Tirtha succeeded him who also attained Mahasamadhi a year later in 1961. In 1964, after a "period of uncertainty" Niranjana Deva Tirtha,
5246-580: The lion's share in the task of developing and propagating the philosophy of Madhva . For this reason they can unhesitatingly be regarded as the intellectual heirs to the legacy of Madhva , Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha . The main center of Madhva's tradition is in Karnataka . The monastery has a pontiff system, that rotates after a fixed period of time. The pontiff is called Swamiji , and he leads daily Krishna prayers according to Madhva tradition, as well as annual festivals. The process and Vedic mantra rituals for Krishna worship in Dvaita monasteries follow
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#17327768606245332-431: The main deities of the royal family. Even though they were deeply religious, they were also secular in their outlook. The palace area in Darbhanga has three tombs of Muslim saints and a small mosque. The walls of fort at Darbhanga was designed to leave an area so that the mosque is not disturbed. The tomb of a Muslim saint is located next to Anandbagh Palace. As part of their attempt to reintroduce old Hindu customs such as
5418-591: The monastery he founded. The monastery include kitchens, bhojan-shala , run by monks and volunteers. These serve food daily to nearly 3,000 to 4,000 monks, students and visiting pilgrims without social discrimination. During succession ceremonies, over 10,000 people are served a vegetarian meal by Udupi bhojan-shalas . Other Dvaita Mathas include: Ramanuja , the Sri Vaishnavism philosopher, studied at an Advaita Vedanta monastery with Yadava Prakasha before disagreeing with Advaita idealism, and launching his Vishishtadvaita (qualified Advaita) philosophy. Ramanuja
5504-539: The monastery, where the earlier leader anoints the successor as Acharya . In large denominations that ran a collection of historical monasteries, an Acharya may refer to the leader of a regional monastery school operated in that denomination. Alternate titles of the heads of Hindu monasteries are Jeer , Jiyar or Ciyar . The chief of a collection of large Hindu monasteries in a sampradaya has been sometimes referred to as Jagad guru . The matha host not only students but many Guru . A Guru , in Hindu tradition,
5590-452: The north, south, east and west of India. The subsequent leaders of each of these four monasteries are known as Śaṅkarāchāryas in honor of the math's founder, Adi Shankara. As such they are the leaders of the Daśanāmī Saṃnyāsins who are considered to have custody of Advaita Vedānta These four principle seats of learning are located in Purī (Odisha), Śṛṅgeri (Karnataka) and Dvārakā (Gujarat) with the northern (Uttarāmnāya) monastery being located in
5676-477: The objective of publishing Tantric texts in English and other languages. Darbhanga became one of the prominent centres of Hindustani classical music from the late 18th century. The kings of Raj Darbhanga were great patrons of music, art, and culture. Several famous musicians were associated with Raj Darbhanga. Prominent amongst them were Ustad Bismillah Khan, Gauhar Jaan , Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik, Pandit Rameshwar Pathak , and Pandit Siya Ram Tiwari. Raj Darbhanga
5762-594: The poor, the helpless, the crippled, the blind, the deaf, story-tellers, singers, musicians, flute-players, dancers, Vaitāḻikas, the naked, the injured, the mendicants coming from various regions, like Jain mendicants, those bearing a single or triple staff, the haṃsa and paramahaṃsa mendicants; a place for the medical treatment (bhaiṣajyasthāna) of the diseases of the many helpless and sick; a place for offering protection (abhāyapra- dānasthāna) to all living beings.– Stone inscription (1162 CE), Shiva temple and monastery, Sanskrit-Kannada hybrid (Tr: Florinda De Simini) The matha
5848-400: The procedure written by Madhvacharya in Tantrasara . The succession ceremony in Dvaita school involves the outgoing Swamiji welcoming the incoming one, then walking together to the icon of Madhvacharya at the entrance of Krishna temple in Udupi, offering water to him, expressing reverence then handing over the same vessel with water that Madhvacharya used when he handed over the leadership of
5934-463: The seat of power of the Raj Darbhanga family in 1762. They also had a palace at Rajnagar Bihar situated in Madhubani district. They bought land from local people. They became known as a Khandavala family (the richest landlord). For a period of twenty years (1860–1880), Darbhanga Raj was placed under the Court of Wards by the British Raj . During this period, Darbhanga Raj was involved in litigation regarding succession. This litigation decided that
6020-515: The spread of Shaiva ideas in north and west India till about the 12th century. Other major monasteries include the Golaki matha that existed by the 10th century, famed for its round temple shape, probably near modern Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. This monastery featured a cluster of Shiva temples, a hospital, college and lodging for students. The Golaki matha was a center for Vedic studies with parallel studies of Buddhist literature. Inscription evidence suggests set up numerous Shaiva monasteries in
6106-442: The study of Vedas and Vedic rites, the Maharaja reintroduced Samavedic study by inviting a few well-versed Samavedins from south India to teach there. Maharaja Rameshwar Singh established and was general president of Sri Bharat Dharma Mahamadal, a neo-conservative Hindu organisation that sought to make Hindu scriptures available to all castes and women. He was one of the main patrons of Agamanusandhana Samiti, an organisation with
6192-611: The subcontinent such as in Tamil Nadu . Many of the monasteries and attached temples, particularly in the northwest Indian subcontinent, were destroyed by Islamic armies after the 12th-century, and Shaiva monastic network severely disrupted from the consequent violence. In some cases, the Hindu monasteries were converted into Islamic ribats or madrasa (soldier barracks , schools) during the medieval period. The Shaiva monasteries have been from diverse schools of Shaivism, ranging from nondualist to theistic schools, and regionally went by
6278-522: The ten, the first three, the Uttaradi Matha , Vyasaraja Matha and Raghavendra Matha , are considered to be the three premier apostolic institutions of Dvaita Vedanta and are jointly referred as Mathatraya . It is the pontiffs and pandits of the Mathatraya that have been the principle architects of post-Madhva Dvaita Vedanta through the centuries. As a matter of fact, these have taken
6364-490: The word is math , which means 'inhabit' or 'to grind'. The oldest meaning of matha is "hut" or "hovel," "the hut of a nomadic arya." In time, it came to mean "the residence of various ascetics or religious scholars, sometimes attached to a grand temple." Patrick Olivelle mentions the absence of organized ascetic or monastic institutions within Brahmanism until the early medieval period. According to Olivelle, noticing
6450-409: The worship of the Śivaliṅga; the established place (niṣṭhitasthāna) for the ritual practice of the Śaiva ascetics who are perpetual chaste students; a place for the self-recitation (svādhyāyasthāna) of the four Vedas —the Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma, and Ātharva— along with their ancillary treatises; a place for teaching (byākhyānasthāna) grammar, like the systems of Kumāra, Pāṇini, Śākaṭāyana, and the Śabdānuśasana;
6536-425: Was Maharaja Bahadur Sir Kameshwar Singh . He died in 1962 without naming a successor. The origin of the royal family of Darbhanga is traced to a grant of the Sarkar of Tirhut to Mahesh Thakur by Akbar. The supporters of the theory that Raj Darbhanga was a kingdom argue that it was held by privy council , that the rulership was a hereditary one with succession governed by primogeniture . The supporters argue that by
6622-579: Was a 14th-century Vaishnava devotional poet sant of Bhakti movement , in the Ganges river region of Northern India . He studied in an Advaita Vedanta monastery, joined the Ramanuja's Sri Vaishnavism tradition, then proceeded to start god Rama -based Vaishnavism movement from Hindu holy city of Varanasi. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya ,
6708-571: Was a circular structure in front of Manokamna Temple, which was known as the bandstand. The band used to play music there in the evening. Today the floor of the bandstand is the only part still extant. Raj Darbhanga promoted various sports activities. The polo ground in Laheriasarai was a major centre for polo in pre-independence times in Bihar. The winner of a major polo tournament in Calcutta
6794-526: Was a main patron of Dhrupad , a vocal style in Hindustani classical music. One of the three major schools of Dhrupad today is known as Darbhanga Gharana . Raj Darbhanga supported Murad Ali Khan, one of the foremost sarod players of his time. Khan is credited with being the first person to use metal strings and metal fingerboard plates on his sarod, which has today become the standard. Raj Darbhanga had its own symphony orchestra and police band. There
6880-442: Was also on par with many a princely state. The opponents of the theory argue that Raj Darbhanga was never a kingdom but rather a zamindari with all the trappings of a princely state. The rulers of Raj Darbhanga were the largest landowners in India, and thus were called Raja, and later Maharaja and Maharajadhiraja. They were given the status of ruling prince. According to Arvind, they were "robber barons", who curried favour from
6966-434: Was first headed by one of his four main disciples, and the tradition continues since then. Yet, according to Paul Hacker, no mention of the mathas can be found before the 14th century CE. Until the 15th century, the timespan of the directors of Sringeri Math are unrealistically long, spanning 60+ and even 105 years. After 1386, the timespans become much shorter. According to Hacker, these mathas may have originated as late as
7052-517: Was given over to indigo at that time, making the estate one of the most important centres in the region for this crop prior to the introduction of chemical dyes. After the independence of India from British rule in 1947, the Government of India initiated several land reform actions and the Zamindari system was abolished. The fortunes of Darbhanga Raj dwindled. The last ruler of Raj Darbhanga
7138-617: Was legally independent and no longer had to pay tribute to the Nawabs of Bengal . In a report to the Patna Committee of review, Shitab Rai, the naib diwan of Bihar, admitted that the weak state of the empire had rendered many of the zamindars, including Raj Darbhanga, independent. Henningham described the Raj Darbhanga as a "semi-independent chieftainship". The rulers of Darbhanga in keeping with their elevated status, adopted
7224-920: Was nominated as the leader of the Srirangam matha, after the death of Yamunacharya, though they never met. Along with his philosophy, Ramanuja is famous for his organizational skills and the lasting institutional reforms he introduced at Srirangam paralleling those at Advaita monasteries of his time. He also travelled and founded many Sri Vaishnavism mathas across India. The Sri Vaishnavism tradition believes that Ramanuja started 700 mathas, but historical evidence suggests several of these were started later. The Sri Vaishnavism mathas over time, subdivided into two, those with Tenkalai (southern) tradition and Vadakalai (northern) tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. The Tenkalai-associated mathas are headquartered at Srirangam, while Vadakalai mathas are associated with Kanchipuram. Both these traditions have from 10th-century onwards considered
7310-562: Was of the opinion that Akbar made use of Mahesh Thakur by helping the Maithil Brahmins to displace the Rajputs as the local ruling elite. In 1684, Aurangzeb issued a firman that had the effect of differentiating Raj Darbhanga from other estates of the region. The lands belonging to the Darbhanga family were theirs permanently and became private property rather than belonging to the empire. Raj Darbhanga from this point onwards
7396-773: Was severely damaged in the 1934 earthquake, rebuilt, and later donated to Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University and Darbhanga Fort . Darbhanga Raj also had several palaces in other towns in India, including the Rajnagar Palace Complex at Rajnagar , in Madhubani District of Bihar, and Darbhanga House (currently the Loreto Convent Tara Hall school) at Kaithu, Shimla. The Maharajas of Darbhanga were devoted to Sanskrit traditions and were supporters of orthodox Hindu practices in both caste and religion. Shiva and Kali were
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