The Serene Hill Town of Sringeri

Soumyaroop Mukherjee

The Serene Hill Town of Sringeri

Sringeri is a hill town located in the Taluk headquarters of the Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. In the 8th century CE, Adi Shankara, a Hindu theologian and proponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, founded the first matha here. Today, the town on the banks of the Tunga River attracts several pilgrims due to the popularity of the Sri Sharadamba and Sri Vidyashankara deity temple complexes.

Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Chikkmaguluru, Source: Creative Commons License

Sringeri is a serene hill town located in the Chikkmaguluru district of Karnataka. Despite its small population, the town boasts some of the most important temples in the region, both architecturally and historically. It is also the site of the first matha and spirituality, which was established by the great spiritual leader Adi Shankaracharya, a renowned Hindu scholar and Advaita Vedanta reasoner, in the eighth century.

Although located in a hilly region, the temperature in Sringeri is pleasant. The temple complex is known for two important temples: Sri Sharadamba Temple and Sri Vidyashankara Temple.

The name "Sringeri" is also legendary and wrapped in a mythological tale. It is thought to be derived from Rishya Shringa Giri, a nearby hill that, according to legend, was the site of the hermitage of Rishi Vibhandaka and his more famous son Rishi Rishyashringa - he is associated with Ramayana and the birth of all the princes of Ayodhya. The town of Sringeri is located on the banks of the Tunga Stream. Another legend enshrined in this place is that of Adi Shankaracharya. He was roaming around on the banks of the Tunga River when he saw a cobra giving shelter by its hood to a mother-to-be from the hot summer sun. He surmised that here in this pious place, even the worst enemies are helping each other

In this region, the idol of the temple's Devi is made up of sandalwood, which was an exquisite idea to build any model of the goddess. It also shows that although sandalwood is expensive, it was aplenty in southern India at one time, from where it was imported to various parts of the country as well as the world.

As visitors approach the temple, they will see the maha mandapam. This area features massive stone pillars that are elegantly carved with the iconography of goddesses such as Durga, Raja Rajeshwari, Dwarapalakas, and Devis. If people observe this iconography carefully and are aware of its history, they will understand that these beautiful sculptures were all sculpted according to the text Shilpa Shastra, which was a general practice in Tamil Nadu.

The Shilpa Shastras are a group of ancient Indian texts that mention various arts, crafts, and sculptures. They are considered the Upaveda of the last Veda, the Atharvaveda.

If people look up at the temple, they will be able to see the 127 feet tall and broad Rajagopuram constructed in 2014, which is quite recent. The gods and goddesses enshrined in this temple are Sri Thorana Ganapathy, Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Shakti Ganapathy, Sri Garuda, and Sri Anjaneya, among others. So, in the matters of the gods and goddesses, it can be said that this temple enshrines both north Indian Puranic gods and goddesses and south Indian local gods and goddesses.

Sri Vidyashankara Temple is another famous temple in this temple town of Sringeri. It was built in 1338 A.D, in commemoration of the pontiff Sri Vidyashankara, by Sri Vidyaranya, who was patronized by the two famous brothers - Harihara and Bukka, whom we know in history as the founders of the famous Viajynagara empire in south India. Telugu inscriptions in the temple record contributions made to this temple by various Vijayanagara emperors, but probably the temple was built on an earlier Hoysala site.

It can be perceived from the style of the temple building, which is a pure combination of old Hoysala, which in turn was a combination of Chalukayan style with Vijayanagar style, which was a Dravidian architectural feature. From the inscriptions of the temple, we can know the fact that the commemorative and donative acts of the kings are also written down so that future generations can know about them. This feature is very common in South Indian temples but rare in North Indian temples.

This temple is unique because the eastern half of the temple houses a large mandapa with 12 pillars (Rashi stambhas), each marked with one of the 12 signs of the zodiac. The sun passes through each of these signs in the course of 12 months. We often attribute our dependence on zodiacs to Europe and Arabia, but these zodiac pillars in the temple indicate otherwise.

In conclusion, the jewels of Sringeri are important for history enthusiasts, travel bugs, as well as art lovers.

Sri Sharadamba Temple is an ancient temple dedicated to Sri Sharada, another name for the Vedic goddess Saraswati. Behind this name are certain stories. In the Vedas, Sharada is mentioned as another name for Devi Saraswati, who is the presiding goddess of wisdom, speech, and art. Adi Shankaracharya also called Devi by this name and established many temples in different parts of the country dedicated to her. Sharada is also the Kashmiri name of Devi Saraswati, and there is an ancient pith/pilgrimage site as well as an educational institution dedicated to her in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There is also a script by the same name, and it was prevalent in Kashmir