The other Vyasa Theertha

In several of my earlier articles, I have written about Vyasa Theertha or Vyasa Raja, the Raj Guru of six Vikayanagar Emperors and the earlier avatar of Raghavendra Swamy.

This saint was born sometime in 1460 in Bannur near Mysore and entered Brindavana in Nava Brindavana in Hampi in 1539. But did you know that almost 100 years before this saint was born, there was another Madhwa saint by the same name.

Yes, there was another Vyasa Theertha and he was among the most illustrious disciples of Jaya Theertha or Teeka Charya of Malkhed. He is believed to have lived around 1400.

Though the exact date of birth of this saint is not known, Dwaitha scholars say the first Vyasa Theertha was a disciple of Jaya Theertha along with Vidhyadhiraja Theertha and others. While Vidhadhiraja Theertha took the Dwaitha Samrajya as its pontiff, Vyasa Theertha continued as a Bidi Sanyasi.

Both Vidyadhiraja and Vyasa were excellent disciples of  Jaya Theertha and  both have written some of the best texts on Dwaitha literature.      

Vidhyadhiraja Theertha is among the first Dwaitha scholars to write vyakyana for Vishnu Sahasra Nama. Similarly, Vyasa Theertha was among the first to write a Tippani for Upanishad Bhashya.

The style and text of his Tippani or commentary is very simple.

His other works include Teeka for Dashopanishat Bhashya for the Vyaakyaana of Teeka Charya (except Shatprashnopanishat Bhashya), Bharata Bhavapanchika (vyaakyana for Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya), vyakyana for Acharya Madhwa’s Tantrasara sangraha and “pramana maalika.

He is also credited with  “Jayatirtha Vijaya”(with 5 sargaas) Jayatirtha Vijaya, however, is not complete as it  contains details about the life and times of  Teeka Charya only upto the blessings of Saraswathi to Jayatirtharu.

Vyasa begins the work with a narration of  Madhwacharya  and his four direct shishyas-Padmanabha Theertha, Narahari Theertha, Madhava Theertha and Akshoba Theertha  and their works.

The book also refers to the scholastic duel between Akshoba Theertha and Vidyaranya at Mulabagal and the arbitrator of the debate, Vedantha Deshika.

The book gives us valuable information on how Deshika declared Akshoba the winner of the debate.

Other chapters or sarga details the early life of Jaya Theertha, his childhood, marriage. Another chapter deals with the meeting on Bheema river between Akshoba and Jaya Theertha. The book ends with the Deekshe of Jaya Theertha at the hands of Akshoba Theertha.

Some of the other works of  Vyasa are Anu Jayatirtha Vijaya, another biography of Jaya Theertha  in 34 slokhas. This perhaps is the first work where it is mentioned that Jaya Theertha is the amsha of Indra and that he got the blessings of Goddess Durga.

This book is invaluable to Madhwas as it given details about the victory of Jaya Theertha over some Adwaitha scholars and also Vidhyadhiraja becoming the Peethadhipathi of the Dwaitha Matha.

Vyasa here is so humble that he talks about the greatness of  Jaya Theertha and says that his history cannot be easily explained, “I have only written what Jaya Theertha has told me, “he says.

His Taittiriya Bhashya Vyakhya contains 400 poems. The manuscript of Chandogya Bhashya Vyakhya can be found in Mysore and Tanjavur.      

Vedesa Theertham, Visveshvara Theertha, Raghottama Theertha, Raghavendra Swamy and  Jagannatha Theertha (a seer of the Vyasa Raja Matha whose Brindavana is at Kumbakonam. This saint is believed to be an avatar of Galava Rishi.) have mentioned this saint as Vyasa Theertha and quoted some of his works.

The Dwaitha scholar, BNK Sharma, in his book “History of the Dwaitha School of Vedantha and Literature”,  also agrees that his Vyasa was one of the earliest and direct disciples of Jaya Theertha.

He says this saint is important as he has written glosses for 8 of the 10 Upanishads commented upon by Madhwacharya.
Interestingly, Vyasa Theertha makes a mention of the Madhwa saint Madhava Theertha who is the third pontiff of the Dwaitha Peetha after Padmanabha Theerytha and Naraharo Theertha. However, Vyasa's guru, Jaya Theertha makes no mention of Madhava Theertha though he mentions almost all other disciples of Madhwacharya.  

This saint is believed to have passed away in the earlier years of the 15^th Century. His brindavana is at Malkhed in Gulbarga district. This Brindavana is near the final resting place of Jaya Theertha.
Malkhed has several other brindavanas including that of Akshoba Theertha. There is also a Veda Patashala there. Malkhed was once called Manyakheta and it was the capital of the Rashtrakutas.
It is easily accessible from Gulbarga and other near-by places.

The Nine saints of Nava Brindavana

Nava Brindavana is a small island in the Tungabhadra river near Hampi or Vijayanagar.

Hampi is in Bellary district and it is approachable from Bangalore by rail or road. The nearest airport is Bellary. The nearest train stop is Bellary. There are direct buses from Bangalore and other places in Karnataka to Hospet and even Hampi apart from Bellary.

This is one of the most holy spots for Madhwas as it contains the Brindavanas (final resting place of  nine Madhwa saints).

The Brindavana of Vyasa Theerta is at the centre while the Brindavana of other eight saints are in a rough circle. There is a yellow line drawn around the periphery of the Brindavanas.

Do not cross this line.

You have to go in a boat or Theppa from Hampi to visit Nava Brindavana. It is located east of Anegundi, which was the earlier capital of  the Vijayanagar dynasty before it was shifted to Hampi.

You can catch a ferry either from Gangavathi side or Hampi side (Talagarighatta Gate).

There are shrines dedicated to Ranganatha and Hanuman here.

Poojas commence around 10-30 a.m., Devotees and visitors are advised not to do pradakshina of  the Brindavanas in wet clothes. Try to time your visit in the morning.

It is on this island that Vyasa Raja in his earlier avatar as Prahalada had meditated to get rid of his dosha of  getting his father, Hiranyakashapyu, killed by Lord Narasimha. 

Some of the saints who have visisted Nava Brindavana are Raghavendra Swamy and  Raghottama Theertha among others and Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa.    

Padmanabha Theertha

He is the first Madhwa saint to enter Brindavana at Nava Brindavana is Padmanabha Theertha.

Padmanabha Theertha was the first disciple of the redoubtable Madhwacharya. He also ascended the Dwaitha throne after Madhwacharya.

His original name was Shobana Bhatta. He was a well-known logician of his times and he lost a marathon debate to Madhwacharya after which he converted to Dwaitaism.

He was regarded highly by the fifth head of the Dwaitha Samrajya,

Jayatheertha or Teekachar, as the pioneer of Tatvavada literature.

He was the first to write a commentary on the Bhasya of Madhwacharya. This was called Sattarkadipavali.

Other works are Sanyaayarathnavali, Gitabhashya and Gitatatparya. He has also written commentaries on all the ten Nirnaya Prakshikaas. He headed the Dwaitha Matha for six years and nine months.

He took Sanyasa from Madhwacharya in 1263 and entered Brindavana in 1324 or 1325. He gave Deekshe to Lakshmidhara Theertha to set up the Sripada Raja Matha at Mulabagal.

His Aradhana Thithi is Karthika Bahula Chaturdashi (Nov-Dec).

Kavindra Theertha

The second Brindavana here is that of Kavindra Theertha. He is believed to be the brother of Rajendra Theertha, the founder of Vyasaraja Matha. He was earlier known as Vasudeva Shastry.

The first bifurcation of the Madhwa or Dwaitha Matha or Peetha took place when Vidyadhiraja handed over the reigns to Kavindra Theertha,

Vidhyadhiraja Theertha had appointed Rajendra Theertha as his successor. Vidhyadhiraja fell ill and he could not get in touch with Rajendra Theertha as he was away on Sanchara. He then appointed Kavindra Theertha as the successor and passed away. When Rajendra Theertha came back he found what had happened and he travelled further south towards Mysore and founded the Vyasa Raja Matha.

Kavindra Theertha is supposed to have entered Brindavana in 1398.

His Aradhane Thithi is Chaitra Krishna Tritiya (April-May)

Vageesha Theertha

His Poorvashrama name was Raghunathacharya. He was one of the greatest scholars of his time. He was the third Madhwa saint to enter Brindavana at Nava Brindavana.

He was the successor of Kavindra Theertha. This sait if ofgten confused with another seer by the same name who gave Deekshe to Vadiraja Theertha (of Sode Matha). His name tooo was Vagesha Theertha and he beelonged to the Sode Math. Deva Rama Bhatt and Saraswathi Devi were blessed by Vageesha Theertha to beget a son. The couple were told by Vageesha Theertha that they would have to hand over the son to the matha. When the couple expressed their appprehension, Vageesha Theertha said they would have another son.
He also told the couple that they could keep the first born if he is born within their house. But if he is born outisde, he must be handed over to the Matha. Vadiraja is born ina field outside his home. He is then handed over to Vageesha Theertha.
Both Vageesha Theertha and his relative Vidyanidhi Theertha (who became the Peetadhipathi after Ramachandra Theertha) took special interest in the education of  Vadiraja. It was Vageesha Theertha who named Vadiraja as Bhoo Varaha. Vadiraja mentions Vageesha Theertha with respect in his Theertha Prabhabandha. This Vagesha Thertha is different from the one who entered Brindavana in Nava Brindavana.

Vageesha Thertha, the sucesor of Kavindra Thertha entered Brindavana sometime in 1406. His Aradhane Thithi is Chaitra Krishna Tritiya (April-May).

Raghuvarya Theertha

He was the Guru of  Raghottama Theertha (of Tirukoilur).

He travelled all over the country to spread the message of Madhwacharya. Once when he reached the banks of Bheema river in north Karnataka, the river gave way for him.

Lord Rama appeared in his dream and asked him to bless a couple in Swarnavadi village in the then Hyderabad state of Nizam  with a child. Rama said this child should be brought up in the Uttaradi Matha and that the child should succeed him. This child grew up to become one of the greatest scholar of its times and was called Raghottama Theertha.
Raghuvarya Theertha was with his Guru Raghunatha Theertha at Nava Brindavanaalong with Vyasa Raja and Krishna Deve Raya, the Vijayanagar King, when one of the Vyasa mustis fell into the Tungabhadra. Lord Narayana came in the dream of the Raghunatha Theertha and told him that the Mustio would reappear when some tortoises would swin. This incident happened a few days later after and even to this day it is in the cutody of the Uttaradi Matha.   

 

Vyasa Theertha

A renowned scholar, Vyasa Theertha or Vyasa Raja was the Raja Guru of six Vijayanagar Emperors, including Krishna Deve Raya. He had a large number of disciples including Vadiraja Theertha.

He encouraged Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa in penning Haridasa Sahitya. He was the Chancellor of  the Vijayanagar University which had 11,000 students.

He consecrated 732 idols of  Hanuman in India. His guru was Brahamanye Theertha of Abbur, while his Vidya Guru was Sripadaraja of Mulabaga.

Vyasa Raja was the earlier avatar of Raghavendra Swamy. His works are considered to be among the most significant in Madhwa literature.

Some of his works include  Nyayamritam  Tarkatandava  Tatparya Chandrika.     

He entered Brindavana in 1539 when Achuta Deve Raya was the Emperor of Vijayanagar.

Srinivasa Theertha

He succeeded Vyasa Theertha to the Vyasaraja Matha. He was also the Raja Guru of Achuta Deve Raya.He has written a book on Vyasa Theertha. This book along with accounts of Portuguese travelers to Vijayanagar and a biography by Somanatha, a Smartha Brahmin during the period of Krishna Deve Raya, give us a lot of information about Vyasa Raja.

Rama Theertha

He followed Srinivasa Theertha to the Peetha of  Vyasaraja Matha.

It was during the period of Rama Theertha that the first split of the Vyasa Raja Matha took place. Both Lakshmikantha Theertha and Sridhara Theertha took Sanyas from Rama Teertha.

Thus the Abbur Matha or Kundapur Matha and Sosale Matha came into existence. In Bangalore, the Abbur Matha has its premises in Hanumanthnagar and the Sosale Matha at Gandhi Bazar.

 

Sudhindra Theertha

He was the Guru of  Raghavendra Swamy. He was also the “Shishya” given to Vijayendra Theertha by Vyasa Raja himself. He was an unmatched scholar and he shared a close relationship with  Vijayendra Theertha. Some of the books written by him are: Sadukthi Rathnakara (Tarkathandava Vyakhya), Apastamba Shulbasootrapradepa,
Commentary on second and 11^th  Skandas of Bhagavatha Literary Books, Subhadra Parinaya, Vyasarajabhyudaya,
Amruthaharana, Dayalu Shathaka,
Vairagyatharanga, Alankara Manjaree,
Alankaranishaka and Sahitya Samrajya.

He was the Raja Guru of Raghunatha Bhoopala of  Tanjore.

Raghavendra Swamy himself made arrangements for the Brindavana Pravesha of Sudhindra Theertha. His Aradhana Thithi is Phalguna Krishna Dvithiya (Feb-March).     

 Govinda Odeyar

 He was a disciple of Vyasa Theertha. He was an Advaitha scholar and he entered into a debate with Vyasa Theertha and lost. He accepted the Dwaitha way of life and joined the large number of disciples of  Vyasa Theertha.

He entered Brindavana at Nava Brindavana much earlier than Vyasa Theertha. He did not belong to any Matha but he was a Bidi (Independent) Sanyasi.

Apart from these Brindavanas, the final resting place of Narahari Theertha, the second pontiff of the Dwaitha Samrajya after Padmanabha Theertha is at Chakra Theertha in Hampi.

       

Vellore's Kandy connection

What has Kandy in Sri Lanka got to do with Vellore, in India. The two cities are hundreds of kilometres apart and are situated in different countries.

Vellore is located 145 kms from Chennai in the State of Tami Nadu. Vellore shares a unique link with Kandy. The last King of Kandy, Vikrama Rajasinghe, is buried in this city.

Vellore is home to one of the best maintained forts in India called the Vellore fort. It is this fort that Vikrama Rajasinghe was exiled.

This is the story of  the last King of Kandy.

The British had been steadily nibbling away at the Kingdom of Kandy which had been ruling over large parts of Sri Lanka., In 1815, the King of Kandy, Vikrama Rajasinghe, abandoned the city of Kandy and along with his family and came to Meda Maha Nuwara..

(King Vikrama was born in 1780 and  his  coronation was in 1798)

The British marched into Kandy and when they found the city deserted along with the King, they launched a manhunt, They managed to trace the King and his four queens along with other members of the royal group  including  his four wives, mother, brother-in-law and a few others.

On February 15, 1815, the British captured King Vikrama Rajasinghe and his family.  The Royal family was then deliberately taken to Colombo. On March 2, 1815, the Kandy convention came into force, ending the rule of the of  Lankan kings and formally heralding the handing over of the territory to Britain. This convention was an agreement between the British and a few local rulers for ending the rule of the kings of Kandy.

The British then decided to exile Vikrama and his queens to India. When the preparations for taking the King to India were going on, the King and his family members were under house arrest in a house in Galle.

In January 1816, the King and his family members were put aboard the HMS Cornwallis which travelled to Chennai (It was then known as Madras).

The ship docked at Madras and the royal party stayed here for a day. The next day, they left for Vellore by road.

A small palace in the Vellore fort was readied for the King of Kandy. This palace and the fort was in the hands of Hyder Ali and Tiu Sultan  just two decades ago.  The irony was that the descendents of Tipu, including his sons, were imprisoned in this very building from 1799 till 1806 when the Sepoy mutiny broke out.

The British believed that the sons of Tipu and other members of the Tipu family had a hand in the mutiny and sent them to Calcutta. So by the time the King of Kandy arrived in Vellore, Tipu’s family had already been moved out.

The King of Kandy set foot in Vellore on February 28.  The Royal family was assigned a palace and this came to be known in local parlance (Tamil) as Kandi Mahal. Even today, there is a sign board within the Vellore Fort pointing to the direction of Kandi Mahal.

The Kandi Mahal is now a sub-registrar’s office.   

The King continued to live here for 17 years with his queens Venkata Jamal, Mutukanama, Venkatamal and Nachiyerammal. He died at the age of 52 due to dropsy on January 30, 1832.

King Vikrama Rajasinghe was cremated in Vellore with full military honours. Even today, his tomb can be seen in Vellore. A descendant of the King and the Government has built a small memorial at the spot.

The memorial is called Muthu Mantapam and it has the tomes of six persons. It is near the Palar river.

The Vellore museum has some artefacts devoted to King Vikrama Rajasinghe. Among them is an ivory chess board and coins, There is also a photograph of his palace back in Kandy.     

The Arjuna Temple that Todar Mal renovated

Less than a hundred kilometer from Bangalore is the old temple town of Mulabagal.

 Located on the bust Bangalore Tirupathi Highway, Mulbagal is today a small town in Kolar district.

Mulabagal and surrounding villages such as Avani, Kurudumala, Bangaru Tirupathi, Virupaksha and other places have several ancient temples with history dating back to  the times of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

But did you know that one of the temples in Mulabagal has a ling with the Mughals too. And that this Mughal was instrumental in renovating the temple and also enlarging it.  

Mulabagal has become famous over the last few decades as the final resting place of  the great Madhwa saint Sripadara Raja.

Sripada Raja was known for his immense contribution to the field of Dasa literature and philosophy. He stayed in Mulabagal for several decades and made it a centre for leaning and literature. His brindavana is at Narasimha Theerta, a few kms from the town of Mulabagal.

Mulabagal is a very old town and it finds mention in the Mahabharata. During the period of the Vijayanagar dynasty, it was the capital of the eastern provinces and the gateway to Tirupathi.

Surrounded by rocky hills, Mulabagal earlier was known as Mudala Bagilu.

This town has one of the oldest Hanuman temples in India. While every one is aware of the legend that credits the Pandava, Arjuna, with consecrating this temple, very few know that Raja Todar Mal, the Finance Minister of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar, renovated and enlarged it.

The history of the temple is as follows.

The Kurukshetra war had just ended. Arjuna for just a moment, felt proud that he had vanquished so many mighty warriors. In a vain moment, he boats about this to Krishna, who is his charioteer.

Krishna does not reply but asks Arjuna to alight from the chariot. He then dismounts from the chariot. The moment, Krishna steps down, the chariot is engulfed in flames,

Krishna tells Arjuna that if he had allowed Arjuna to still be seated in the chariot, he would have perished in the fire. He says the chariot was doomed to burn as several great warriors like Bheeshma, Drona, Karna, Duryodhana had fired weapons at it, “The chariot did not catch fire only because of me. The moment I got down, the divine cover that my presence gave top the chariot vanished. You see the consequences”, says Krishna.

Arjuna is humbled. He is happy that the standard on the chariot, a drawing if Hanuman, has been saved. Arjuna then comes to Mulabagal and consecrated the idol of  Hanuman here.

Centuries after the temple was consecrated, Mulabagal and

Surrounding areas came under the Chloas and Nolamba kings. The kings of both these dynasties built several temples in and around Mulabagal and Kolar.

When the Hoysala dynasty collapsed after Mailk Kafur invaded it, this region came under the Vijayanagars. Sripada Raja made Mulabagal his home and he is said to have prayed at the Hanuman Temple here as did Vyasa Theertha or Vyasa Raja his disciple.

The Vijayanagar Empire declined after the battle of talikota in 1565 and Mulabagal and surrounding areas, including Bangalore, became the battle ground for the Adil Shahis and Mughals.

Raja Todar Mal was the Finance Minister of Akbar from 1560 to 1586. He is believed to have come here during this period.

Todar Mal was a Khatri from Punjab. The Silk Gurus were from the Khatri community.

Todar Mal is said to have renovated and repaired the Hanuman Temple here.

The Hanuman Temple also houses the deities of Srinivasa, Padmavathi, and Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana. These idols were consecrated by Vasistha.

There is an engraving of a lizard on the temple wall. This is believed to bring good luck.
There is a statue of Todar Mal at the temple. Todar Mal also did contribute to the Srinivasa Temple at Tirupathi. There is a statue of Todar Mal at Tirupathi too.  

The temple has been renovated recently.

The temple where Parvathi appears in dreams

One of the most enchanting spots in Kolar district, Avani has a hoary past. It has several temples of antiquity and all of them have their own tales to relate. However, the temple I am talking about is the Seetha Parvathi Temple atop a hillock in Avani.

Avani is just 10 kms from Mulabagilu and 16 kms from Kolar Gold Fields. It is located in Kolar district and it is easily approachable from Bangalore.

I have visited Avani several times and the Seetha Parvathi Temple has never ceased to amaze. I have also guided several off my friends towards this temple. Almost all of my friends who went there have spoken about the beauty of Avani and the history associated with it.

Several women who have gone there said they had experienced some divinity at the temple of Seetha-Parvathi. Some of my friends who did not have a child for many years, were blessed with children after they prayed at this temple.

I am penning down the legend of the temple as it was narrated to me by the priest and also several locals of Avani. I hope it can help somebody. So here goes the story.

The temple of Seetha Parvathi goes back to the times of the Ramayana.

Seetha comes here when she is pregnant  Rama had asked Seetha to be taken away from Ayodhya after a washerman comments on the chastity of Seetha. The washerman is overheard telling his wife that he is not Rama to forgive his wife for staying with a man.

Rama is anguished by the remark and asks Lakshmana to take away Seetha from the kingdom. In course of her travels, Seetha comes to Avani where Valmiki has his ashrama.

Valmiki asks Seetha to stay back and she agrees. Seetha makes one of the case here her home. (This cave can still be seen today). Seetha worships Parvathi daily. She prays for the well-being of her unborn children and even Rama.

The temple of Seetha Parvathi is atop the hillock. Locals and several of my friends have vouched for the fact that Goddess Parvathi can be felt here.  The priest and the locals say that the cave in Valmiki ashrama, which also has the temple nearby, has medicinal properties.

Well, coming back to the story. Couples who want a child should come here and bathe at the small pond on the top of the hillock called Dahushkodi. Legend has it that Lakshmana shot an arrow here and water sprung up.

Women are expected to bathe here without changing clothes. She should then carry a coconut which will be given by the priest to the temple. Before reaching the temple, they have to go through some caves.

When the woman reaches the garba gudi, she starts feeling sleepy and she falls asleep near the shrine. My friends tell me that their wives dreamt of Parvathi when they fell asleep here. All the women told their husbands that they saw a woman with ornaments and articles which a pregnant woman has or a woman who has delivered has.

Months after  such dreams, the women delivered. This story told here is one of faith and devotion. There is nothing more than getting the blessing of God. The fruits of devotion will always come, however late.

Please find time to visit the time and also talk to the priest of the Seetha Parvathi Temple and the  locals of Avani. Then decide if you want to go through the experience or not.   

The tiger that roars no more

He was called the Tiger of Mysore and true to the adage he was a tiger in real sense of the word. The British feared him and the Nizam of  Hyderabad never felt secure with him. The Marathas too were wary of  him.

Having killed a tiger during his youth, he was known for his bravery and patriotism.  One  of his everlasting ambition was to throw out the British from India. No wonder, he was the most discussed personality of the British Empire in the late 1700s.

Tipu Sultan, as he was called, was perhaps one of the most illustrious rulers of  Mysore. During a hunting expedition when he was young he had singlehandedly fought a tiger. The people had conferred on him the title Tiger.

Tipu and his father Hyder Ali had instinctively sensed that the British and not native rulers of India were the main enemy. Both fought long and hard to throw the British out of India.

Soon after Hyder Ali’s death, the mantel of the Mysore kingdom had fallen on  Tipu Sultan. Tipu had tried to stitch together an alliance against the British but he failed.

His request to the French Emperor, Napoleon, for help to oust the British from India too did not bear any fruit though Napolean had promised him help. When the final war of Mysore took place in 1799, Tipu was alone and he was betrayed by one of his own men and he met a heroic death in his capital Srirangapatna on May 4, 1799.

Tipu had such a deep hatred of the British that he had got a special mechanical contraption made in which a tiger sat on a fallen British soldier and roared. It was made of wood and painted in several colours. There was small keyboard with 18 notes and when pressed, it created the roar of a tiger.  

This contraption and several other personal articles had the motif of a tiger which was Tipu’s favourite symbol.  

When Srirangapatna fell, the British and their allies went on a looting spree. They first ran to the palaces of Tipu and his Treasury and picked up whatever items they could lay their hands on.

The British discovered this contraption in Tipu’s summer palace,

The then Governor General of the East India Company at Madras, Lord Mornington, sent this device to Britain where it was initially to be exhibited at the Tower of London.

When it arrived in Britian, the device was shown to the people who were led to believe that this was the extent of hatred that  one of the Indian Kings had for Britain. In 1808 it came to be exhibited at the Tower of London. Subsequently, it was placed at the office of the East India Company in London where it became a prized exhibit.

In 1880, the exhibit, which by then had been drawing crowds, was shifted to the Victoria and Albert Museum.  It is now placed in the section called Imperial courts of south India.

The device has drawn the curiosity of several authors and painters. The first description of the device is given by an aide of the Governor General. He says. “In a room appropriated for musical instruments was found an article which merits particular notice, as another proof of the deep hate, and extreme loathing of Tippoo Saib towards the English. This piece of mechanism represents a royal Tyger in the act of devouring a prostrate European. There are some barrels in imitation of an Organ, within the body of the Tyger. The sounds produced by the Organ are intended to resemble the cries of a person in distress intermixed with the roar of a Tyger. The machinery is so contrived that while the Organ is playing, the hand of the European is often lifted up, to express his helpless and deplorable condition. The whole of this design was executed by Order of Tippoo Sultaun. It is imagined that this memorial of the arrogance and barbarous cruelty of Tippoo Sultan may be thought deserving of a place in the Tower of London.”

James Salmond was the first person to paint this device in 1800. This painting was for his book “A Review of the Origin, Progress and Result, of the Late Decisive War in Mysore with Notes.”

When the device was kept for public viewing in India House on Leanden Hall Street, London, visitors frequently turned the crank handle of the device so that the arm of the European would rise and the tiger  would roar. Even the French writer Gustave Flaubert saw the exhibit and was impressed.  By them this device came to be called The Tiger and the Thistle>

Sometime after 1843, the crank handle disappeared and the tiger stopped roaring. In 1858, Britain formally took over the East India Company and all its assets. In 1874, the tiger then found its den at the India Museum in South Kensington, London.

The India Museum came to an end in 1879 and several exhibits, including the tiger, was moved to the Victoria and Albert Museum. During World War 2, a German bomb fell on the roof of the museum and the wooden casing of the devoice was shattered.

When the World War ended, the wooden pieces were put back together and the tiger was being to being exhibited. In 1955, it was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The device is believed to have suffered irreparable damage when it was dropped ion the floor by a person incharge of cleaning it. Since then , the tiger has stopped roaring.

Today, the entire device is kept in a glass enclosure in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A replica, albeit a smaller one, is kept in the museum in Bangalore.

It is a sad day for all Indians that a device that symbolised Tipu’s ambition is still lying in the heart of the country he so assiduously sought to expel from his homeland. Is is not time for the Government to get its act together and get back the Tiger.   Meanwhile, the tiger contiunes to be conficned in a glass cage. What an irony.   

The Ganesha that the Gods worship

Did you that the Holy Trinity of the Hindus, or the Triumvirate-Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara-together installed a God in India and that place is in Karnataka.

This is also the God that Rama worshipped before taking on Ravana and Krishna worshipped to get himself rid of the curse of Samyantaka Mani.

The place is Kurudumale and the temple here is dedicated to Ganesha. Kurudumale is in Kolar district and it is situated in Mulabagailu taluk. It is 12 kms from Mulabagilu and 110 kms from Bangalore.

Kurudumale is well known for the Saligrama Ganesha idol. This is one of the biggest Ganesha idols of its kind. It is 13.5 feet in height. This makes it much bigger than the Ganesha idol on Bull Temple Road in Bangalore.

The legend of this temple goes back to the Krita or Satya Yuga, which is the first of the four yugas. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara built the temple so that the demon Tripurasura could be killed.

Tripurasura was a demon and he had become very powerful thanks to a  boon. He could only be killed by a person who gets married but also lives a life of a celibate.

The demon  soon became vain and began harassing people, sages and even gods. He lived a well-fortified forest and none dare take him on,  The Gods too did not know what to do, Tripurasura was becoming more and more powerful.

The Gods then got together and made Shakthi. They gave Shakthi in marriage to Ganesha. Shakti then transformed herself into weapons that Ganesha could use.

The weapons that Shakti herself transformed into can be seen in the idol here. Ganesha then takes on Tripurasara and kills him with

Shakti. Tired after the duel with the demon, Ganesh comes here and takes rest.

During the Ramayana period, Hanuman who could be forgetful, came here and prayed to Ganesha.

On Ganesha Chaturdashi and other festive occasions, more than 1,000 kgs of butter is needed to cover the statue.     

In earlier days, the idol was better known as Kotadri and the hill on which this idol is situated was Kotamale. This word  came to be corrupted to Kurudumale.

Infact this place is so holy that locals say that Gods and goddesses come here and worship the idol. Kaundanya Rishi too comes every midnight and worships the Ganesha.

The Vijayanagar Emperor Krishna Deveraya built the temple for Ganesha. It is said that Ganesha himself appeared in his dreams and asked to construct a temple. Krishna Deveraya also built the temple courtyard.

A little away from the Ganesha temple is a temple dedicated to Shiva. This is much older than the Ganesha Temple and it is known as the Someshwara temple.

The temple is believed to have been repaired by the Cholas. It is built without any foundation. Architecturally, this temple is unique as half the structure is built by Jakanacharya while the other half is by his son Dankanacharya.

This Ganesha is said to be very powerful. Whatever you wish for will come true, or so the saying goes,

By the way, our texts tell us that Kurudumale is the place where the Gods come from heaven to spend some time, Why don’t  you tare some tome off and visit the temple.

  

Madhwa Mathas and their Peetadhipathis

In an earlier article, I had tried to trace the history of Madhwa mathas. Here is a list of the peetadhipathis of some of the mathas. I have only given a partial list of heads of Madhwa mathas. The list of heads of other maths will be updated in the days to come.

Let me start with the eight maths or Asta mathas.

Palimar Matha  

Palimar is a small village seven kms from Udupi. Madhwacharya asked Hrishikesha Teertha to head this Matha. This matha has a copy of the Sarvamoola Grantha written by  Hrikesha Teertha, one of the disciples of Madhwacharya. This work is in Tulu.

His work Anumadhvacharita relates incidents of  life and works of Madhwacharya. 

The pontiffs of this matha are:   

1. Sri Hrshikesha Teertha

2. Sri Samatmesha Teertha

3. Sri Aparajitha Teertha

4. Sri Vidyamurti Teertha

5. Sri Rajarajeshwara Teertha

6. Sri Srinidi Teertha

7. Sri Videsha Teertha

8. Sri Srivallabha Teertha

9. Sri Jagadbhushan Teertha

10. Sri Ramachandra Teertha

11. Sri Vidyanidhi Teertha

12. Sri Suresh Teertha

13. Sri Raghavendra Teertha

14. Sri Raghunandana Teertha

15. Sri Vidyapathi Teertha

16. Sri Raghupathi Teertha

17. Sri Raghottama Teertha

18. Sri Ramabhadra Teertha

19. Sri Raghuvarya Teertha

20. Sri Raghupungava Teertha

21. Sri Raghuvara Teertha

22. Sri Raghupravira Teertha

23. Sri Raghubhushana Teertha

24. Sri Raghuratna Teertha

25. Sri Raghupriya Teertha

26. Sri Raghumanya Teertha

27. Sri Raghuvallabha Teertha

28. Sri Vidyamanya Teertha

29. Sri Vidyadheesha Teertha 

The second matha that Madhwacharya set up was Admar. Adamr is also a small village near Udupi.   

The first to head this matha is Narasimha Teertha, a disciple of Madhwacharya. The lineage if this matha is as follows:  

1. Sri Narasimha Teertha

2. Sri Kamalekshana Teertha

3. Sri Ramachandra Teertha

4. Sri Vidyadisha Teertha

5. Sri Vishwapathi Teertha

6. Sri Vishwesha Teertha

7. Sri Vedanidhi Teertha

8. Sri Vedaraja Teertha

9. Sri Vidyamurti Teertha

10. Sri Vaikuntaraja Teertha

11. Sri Vishwaraja Teertha

12. Sri Vedagarbha Teertha

13. Sri Hiranyagarbha Teertha

14. Sri Vishwadisha Teertha

15. Sri Vishwavallabha Teertha

16. Sri Vishwendra Teertha

17. Sri Vidyapathi Teertha

18. Sri Vibudhapati Teertha

19. Sri Vedavallabha Teertha

20. Sri Vedavandya Teertha

21. Sri Vidyesha Teertha

22. Sri Vibudhavallabha Teertha

23. Sri Vibudhavandya Teertha

24. Sri Vibudhavarya Teertha

25. Sri Vibudhendra Teertha

26. Sri Vibudhadhiraja Teertha

27. Sri Vibudhapriya Teertha

28. Sri VibudhamanyaTeertha

29. Sri Vibudhesha Teertha

30. Sri VishwapriyaTeertha 

Krishnapur is the third matha. Krishnapur is a village near Suratkal. Janaardana Teertha is the first head of this matha.

The pontiffs are:  

1. Sri Janardana Teertha

2. Sri Srivatsankita Teertha

3. Sri Vageesha Teertha

4. Sri Lokeesha Teertha

5. Sri Lokanatha Teertha

6. Sri Lokapriya Teertha

7. Sri Vidyadhiraja Teertha

8. Sri Vishvavadiraja Teertha

9. Sri Vishvadhisha Teertha

10. Sri Vishvesha Teertha

11. Sri Vishvavandya Teertha

12. Sri Vishvaraja Teertha

13. Sri Dharanidhara Teertha

14. Sri Dharadhara Teertha

15. Sri Prajnamurthi Teertha

16. Sri Tapomurthi Teertha

17. Sri Suresvara Teertha

18. Sri Jagannatha Teertha

19. Sri Suresh Teertha

20. Sri Vishvapungava Teertha

21. Sri Vishvavallabha Teertha

22. Sri Vishvabhushana Teertha

23. Sri Yadavendra Teertha

24. Sri Prajnamurthi Teertha

25. Sri Vidyadhiraja Teertha

26. Sri Vidyamurthi Teertha

27. Sri Vidyavailabha Teertha

28. Sri Vidyendra Teertha

29. Sri Vidyanidhi Teertha

30. Sri Vidyasamudra Teertha

31. Sri Vidyapathi Teertha

32. Sri Vidyadhisha Teertha

33. Sri Vidyapurna Teertha

34. Sri Vidyaratna Teertha

35. Sri Vidyasagara Teertha

The next Matha to come up is Puttige. The village by this name is in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada. Upendra Teertha is the first to head this institution.

The heads of this matha are:

1  Sri Upendra Teertha

2. Sri Kavindra Teertha

3. Sri Hamsendra Teertha

4. Sri Yadavendra Teertha

5. Sri Dharanidhara Teertha

6. Sri Damodara Teertha

7. Sri Raghunath Teertha

8. Sri Srivatsanka Teertha

9. Sri Gopinatha Teertha

10. Sri Ranganatha Teertha

11. Sri Lokanatha Teertha

12. Sri Ramanatha Teertha

13. Sri Srivallabha Teertha

14. Sri Srinivasa Teertha

15. Sri Srinidi Teertha

16. Sri Gunanidhi Teertha

17. Sri Anandanidhi Teertha

18. Sri Taponidi Teertha

19. Sri Yadavendra Teertha

20. Sri Kaveendra Teertha

21. Sri Raghavendra Teertha

22. Sri Vibudhendra Teertha

23. Sri Surendra Teertha

24. Sri Bhuvanendra Teertha

25. Sri Yogeendra Teertha

26. Sri Sumatindra Teertha

27. Sri Sudindra Teertha

28. Sri Sugnanendra Teertha

29. Sri SugunendraTeertha

Shirur Matha is the fifth matha.Shirur is a village in Udupi district.

Vaamana Teertha was the first head.

The persons who have headed this matha are:

1. Sri Vamana Teertha

2. Sri Vasudeva Teertha

3. Sri Punyashloka Teertha

4. Sri Vedagamya Teertha

5. Sri Vedavyasa Teertha

6. Sri Vedavedya Teertha

7. Sri Mahesha Teertha

8. Sri Krishna Teertha

9. Sri Raghava Teertha

10. Sri Suresha Teertha

11. Sri Vedabhushana Teertha

12. Sri Srinivasa Teertha

13. Sri Vedanidhi Teertha

14. Sri Sridhara Teertha

15. Sri Yadavittama Teertha

16. Sri Lakshminarayana Teertha

17. Sri Vishvabhushana Teertha

18. Sri Trailokyapavana Teertha

19. Sri Lakshmikanta Teertha

20. Sri Lakshminarayana Teertha

21. Sri Lakshmipathi Teertha

22. Sri Lakshmidhara Teertha

23. Sri Lakshmiramana Teertha

24. Sri Lakshmimanohara Teertha

25. Sri Lakshmipriya Teertha

26. Sri Lakshmivallabha Teertha

27. Sri Lakshmisamudra Teertha

28. Sri Lakshmindra Teertha

29. Sri Lakshmivara Teertha

The Acharya made his younger brother, Vishnu Teertha, to head the Sode Matha. This matha wasmade famous by Vadiraja Teertha. This is the only matha that is far off from Udupi.

The seers who headed this matha are:   

1. Sri Vishnu Teertha

2. Sri Vedavyasa Teertha

3. Sri Vedavedya Teertha

4. Sri Vedagarbha Teertha

5. Sri Vareesha Teertha

6. Sri Vamana Teertha

7. Sri Vasudeva Teertha

8. Sri Vedavyasa Teertha

9. Sri Varaha Teertha

10. Sri Vedatma Teertha

11. Sri Vishvavandya Teertha

12. Sri Ratnagarbha Teertha

13. Sri Vedanga Teertha

14. Sri Vidyapati Teertha

15. Sri Vishvavandya Teertha

16. Sri Vishva Teertha

17. Sri Vithala Teertha

18. Sri Varadaraja Teertha

19. Sri Vagisha Teertha

20.  Sri Vadiraja Teertha

21. Sri Vedavedya Teertha

22. Sri Vidyanidhi Teertha

23. Sri Vedanidhi Teertha

24. Sri Varadaraja Teertha

25. Sri Vishvadhirajendra Teertha

26. Sri Vadivandya Teertha

27. Sri Vishvavandya Teertha

28. Sri Vibudhaavarya Teertha

29. Sri Vishvanidhi Teertha

30. Sri Vishvadhisha Teertha

31. Sri Vishvesha Teertha

32. Sri Vishvapriya Teertha

33. Sri Vishvadhisha Teertha

34. Sri Vishvendra Teertha

35. Sri Vishvottama Teertha

36. Sri Vishvavallabha Teertha 

Kaniyur is the seventh matha of the Asta Mathas. Rama Teertha was the first head. The heads of this matha are:

1. Sri Rama Teertha

2. Sri Raghunatha Teertha

3. Sri Raghupathi Teertha

4. Sri Raghunandana Teertha

5. Sri Yadunandana Teertha

6. Sri Vishvatma Teertha

7. Sri Vishvanatha Teertha

8. Sri Vedagarbha Teertha

9. Sri Vagisha Teertha

10. Sri Varadapati Teertha

11. Sri Vishvapati Teertha

12. Sri Vishvamula Teertha

13. Sri Vedapati Teertha

14. Sri Vedaraja Teertha

15. Sri Vidyadhisha Teertha

16. Sri Vibudhesha Teertha

17. Sri Varijaksha Teertha

18. Sri Vishvendra Teertha

19. Sri Vibudhavandya Teertha

20. Sri Vibudhadhiraja Teertha

21. Sri Vidyaraja Teertha

22. Sri VibudhapriyaTeertha

23. Sri Vidyasagara Teertha

24. Sri Vasudeva Teertha

25. Sri Vidyapati Teertha

26. Sri Vamana Teertha

27. Sri Vidyanidhi Teertha

28. Sri Vidyasamudra Teertha

29. Sri Vidyavarinidhi Teertha

30. Sri Vidyavallabha Teertha

Pejavara matha is the last of the asta mathas.The first chief was Adhokshaja Teertha.

The seers who have presided over this matha are

1   Sri Adhokshaja Teertha

2. Sri Kamalaksha Teertha

3. Sri Pushkaraksha Teertha

4. Sri Amarendra Teertha

5. Sri Mahendra Teertha

6. Sri Vijayadhvaja Teertha

7. Sri Uttama Teertha

8. Sri Chintamani Teertha

9. Sri Damodara Teertha

10. Sri Vasudeva Teertha

11. Sri Vadindra Teertha

12. Sri Vedagarbha Teertha

13. Sri Vishvaprajna Teertha

14. Sri Vijaya Teertha

15. Sri Vishvavijaya Teertha

16. Sri Vishveshwara Teertha

17. Sri Vishvabhushana Teertha

18. Sri Vishvavandya Teertha

19. Sri Vidyaraja Teertha

20. Sri Vishvamurthy Teertha

21. Sri Vishvapathi Teertha

22. Sri Vishvanidhi Teertha

23. Sri Vishvadhisha Teertha

24. Sri Vishvadhiraja Teertha

25. Sri Vishvabodha Teertha

26. Sri Vishvavallabha Teertha

27. Sri Vishvapriya Teertha

28. Sri Vishvavarya Teertha

29. Sri Vishvaraja Teertha

30. Sri Vishvamanohara Teertha

31. Sri Vishvajna Teertha

32. Sri Vishvamanya Teertha

33. Sri Vishvesha Teertha

34. Sri Vishvaprasanna Teertha 

The Bhandarkeri Matha was once headed by AchutaPreeksha Teertha, the Guru of  Madhwacharya. It then divided into Bheemanakatte matha.

The heads of the Bhanderkere Matha are:

Sri Achyuta prajna Teertha

Sri Poorna prajna Teertha

1. Sri Satya Teertha

2. Sri Satyavrata Teertha

3. Sri Vishwadeesha Teertha

4. Sri Gadhadhara Teertha

5. Sri Vedanta Teertha

6. Sri Vidyadheesha Teertha

7. Sri Vishwamurti Teertha

8. Sri Raghuvedanta Teertha

9. Sri Raghunatha Teertha

10. Sri Hiranyagarbha Teertha

11. Sri Raghuvara Teertha

12. Sri Damodara Teertha

13. Sri Raghuvallabha Teertha

14. Sri Surottama Teertha

15. Sri Vishwottama Teertha

16. Sri Rajadhiraja Teertha

17. Sri Raghavendra Teertha

18. Sri Raghubhushana Teertha

19. Sri Raghuvarya Teertha

20. Sri Raghupungava Teertha

21. Sri Raghuvarya Teertha

22. Sri Raghuraja Teertha

23. Sri Rajavandya Teertha

24. Sri Vidyaraja Teertha

25. Sri Vidyadhiraja Teertha

26. Sri Vidyasagara Teertha

27. Sri Vidyapati Teertha

28. Sri Vidyanidhi Teertha

29. Sri Vidyarnava Teertha

30. Sri Vidyamanya Teertha (he took over the Palimar Matha)

31. Sri Vidyesha Teertha 

Another Madhwa Matha belonging to the times of Madhwacharya is Subramanya Matha. This matha was also headed by Vishnu Teertha, brother of Madhwacharya. Vidyabhushana belonged to this matha before he gave up sanyasa.

The pontiffs of this matha are
 1. Sri Vishnu Teertha  

2. Sri Aniruddha Teertha

3. Sri Varaaha Teertha

4. Shri Vaageesha Teertha

5. Shri Vishwesha Teertha

6. Shri Venkatesha Teertha

7. Shri Vakyadheesha Teertha

8. Sri Vidyaapathi Teertha

9. Sri Vaasudeva Teertha

10. Sri Vaamana Teertha

11. Sri Vedavyaasa Teertha

12. Sri Vaikuntavallabha Teertha

13. Sri Vijnaana Teertha

14. Sri Vimalathma Teertha

15. Sri Vibhudhesha Teertha

16. Sri Vedagarbha Teertha

17. Sri Vedapoojya Teertha

18. Sri Vedesha Teertha

19. Sri Vidyaadhiraaja Teertha

20. Sri Varadaraaja Teertha

21. Sri Varadesha Teertha

22. Sri Vidyaanidhi Teertha

23. Sri Vedaanthanidhi Teertha

24. Sri Vidyaadhipathi Teertha

25. Sri Vishwapooja Teertha

26. Sri Vishwavanddya Teerth

27. Sri Vishwaadhipathi Teerth

28. Sri Vishwapathi Teertha

29. Sri Vishwaadheesha Teertha

30. Sri Vidhyadheesha Teertha

31. Sri Vidhyaavallabha Teertha

32. Sri Vedaraaja Teertha

33. Sri Vidyaaraaja Teertha

34. Sri Vidyaapoorna Teertha

35. Sri Vyasa Teertha

36. Sri Vishwaanja Teertha

37. Sri Vidyaasindhu Teertha

38. Sri Vidyabhushana Teertha

39.Sri Vidyaprasanna Teertha


 Raghavendra Swamy Matha

The peetadhipathis of this matha are as follows:

1. Sri Padmanabha teertha

2. Sri Narahari Teertha

3. Sri Madhava Teertha

4. Sri Akshobhya Teertha

5. Sri Jaya Teertha

6. Sri Vidyadhiraja Teertha

7. Sri Kavindra Teertha

8. Sri Vageesha Teertha

9. Sri Ramachandra Teertha

10.Sri Vibhudendra Teertha
11Sri Jitamitra Teertha
12Sri Raghunandana Teertha

13 Sri Surendra Teertha
14. Sri Vijayeendra Teertha
15. Sri Sudheendra Teertha
16.Sri Raghavendra  Teertha
17. Sri Yogeendra Teertha
18. Sri Sureendra Teertha
19. Sri Sumateendra Teertha
20. Sri Upendra Teertha
21. Sri Vadeendra Teertha
22. Sri Vasudhendra Teertha
23. Sri Varadendra Teertha
24. Sri Dheerendra Teertha
25. Sri Bhuvanendra Teertha
26. Sri Subodhendra teertha
27. Sri Sujanendra Teertha
28. Sri Sujnanendra Teertha
29. Sri Sudharmendra Teertha
30. Sri Sugunendra Teertha
31. Sri Suprajnendra Teertha
32. Sri Sukruteendra Teertha
33. Sri Susheelendra Teertha
34. Sri Suvrateendra Teertha
35. Sri Suyameendra Teertha
36. Sri Sujayeendra Teertha
37. Sri Sushameendra Teertha
38. Sri Suyateendra Teertha

One of the most important mathas is Uttaradhi Matha. The seers to adorn this matha are:
1. Shi Padmanabha Teertha

2. Sri Narahari Teertha

3. Sri Madhava Teertha

4. Sri Akshobhya Teertha

5. Sri Jaya Teertha

6. Sri Vidyadhiraja Teertha

7. Sri Kavindra Teertha

8. Sri Vageesha Teertha

9Sri Ramachandra Teertha
10. Sri Vidyanidhi Teertha

11. Sri Raghunatha Teertha

12. Sri Raghuvarya Teertha

13. Sri Raghuttama Teertha

14. Sri Vedavyasa Teertha

15. Sri Vidyadheesha Teertha

16. Sri Vedanidhi Teertha

17. Sri Satyavrata Teertha

18. Sri Satyanidhi Teertha

19. Sri Satyanatha Teertha

20. Sri Satyabhinava Teertha

21. Sri Satyapoorna Teertha

22. Sri Satyavijaya Teertha

23. Sri Satyapriya Teertha

24. Sri Satyabodha Teertha

25. Sri Satyasandha Teertha

26. Sri Satyavara Teertha

27. Sri Satyadharma Teertha

28. Sri Satyasankalpa Teertha

29. Sri Satyasantushta Teertha

30. Sri Satyaparayana Teertha

31. Sri Satyakaama Teertha

32. Sri Satyeshata Teertha

33. Sri Satyaparakrama Teertha

34. Sri Satyaveera Teertha

35. Sri Satyadheera Teertha

36. Sri Satyajnana Teertha

37. Sri Satyadhyana Teertha

38. Sri Satyaprajna Teertha

39. Sri Satyabhijna Teertha

40. Sri Satyapramoda Teertha

41. Sri Satyatma Teertha 

The Peeetadhipathos of Tambihalli or Majjagehalli matha are:

 

2) Sri Madhu Hari Teertha
3) Sri Narayana Teertha
4) Sri Paramjyothi Teertha
4) Sri MouniVarya Teertha
5) Sri Jaganath Teertha
6) Sri Gyanivarya Teertha
7) Sri RaghuPathi Teertha
8) Sri Hayagreeva Teertha
9) Sri Raghu Poongava Teertha
10) Sri  RahuVarya Teertha
11) Sri Raghu Nandha Teertha
12) Sri Raghu Pathi Teertha
13) Sri Ram Madhawa Teertha
14) Sri Keshava Madhawa Teertha
15) Sri Pragya Madhawa Teertha
16) Sri Dheera Madhawa Teertha

17) Sri Yogi Madhawa Teertha
18) Sri Vasudeva Madhawa Theerha
19) Sri Srinivasa Madhawa Teertha
20) Sri Veera Madhawa Teertha
21) Sri Satya Madhawa Teertha
22) Sri Vijya Madhawa Teertha
23) Sri Prasanna Shoora Madhawa Teertha 

24) Sri Vidya Sagara Madhawa Teertha

The pontiffs of the Vyasaraja (Sosale) matha are:

Śri Madhwacharya

Śrī Padmanābha Teertha

Śrī Nṛhari Teertha

Śrī Mādhava Teertha

Śrī Akṣobhya Teertha

Śrī Jaya Teertha

Śrī Vidyādhirāja Teertha

Śrī Rajendra Teertha

Śrī Jayadwaja Teertha

Śrī Purushothama Teertha

Śrī Bramhanya Teertha

Śrī Vyasaraja Teertha

Śrī Srinivasa Teertha

Śrī Rama Teertha

Śrī Lakshmikantha Teertha

Śrī Sripathi Teertha

Śrī Ramachandra Teetha

Śrī Lakshmivallabha Teertha

Śrī Lakshminatha Teertha

Śrī Lakshmipathi Teertha

Śrī Lakshminarayana Teertha

Śrī Raghunatha Teertha

Śrī Jagannatha Teertha

Śrī Srinatha Teertha

Śrī Vidyanatha Teertha

Śrī Vidyapathi Teertha

Śrī Vidyavallabha Teertha

Śrī Vidyakaantha Teertha

Śrī Vidyanidhi Teertha

Śrī Vidyapurna Teertha

Śrī Vidyasrisindhu Teertha

Śrī Vidyasridhara Teertha

Śrī Vidyasrinivasa Teertha

Śrī Vidyasamudra Teertha

Śrī Vidyaratnakara Teertha

Śrī Vidyavaridhi Teertha

Śrī Vidyaprasanna Teertha

Śrī Vidyapayonidhi Teertha

Śrī Vidyavachaspathi Teertha

Śrī Vidyamanohar Teertha

Sagarkatte Matha

Sri Pradyumna Teertha (1910-1975)

Sri Pragnaadhiraja Teertha

Sri Pragnadhirajendra Teertha