Sringeri Sharadamba Temple
The seat of the Sharada Peetham on the Tunga
On the banks of the Tunga at Sringeri stands the Sharadamba temple, heart of the first of the four mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya. The Vidyashankara temple in the same complex is a remarkable 14th-century Vijayanagara structure whose pillars are aligned to the solar months. Tame fish crowd the Tunga at the river steps, where feeding them is a ritual in itself.
What to do here
- Take darshan at the Sharadamba temple
- See the astronomically aligned Vidyashankara temple
- Feed the fish at the Tunga river steps
- Walk the riverside ghats
The most important spiritual centre in the district and a landmark of Vijayanagara architecture.
History
Adi Shankaracharya is said to have founded the Sharada Peetham here in the 8th century as the southern seat of his four cardinal mathas. The Vidyashankara temple was built under the early Vijayanagara kings in the 14th century.
Travel tips
About 95 km from town. Footwear, belts and anything leather are left at the counters outside. The math serves a free prasada meal twice a day to every visitor. Mornings before the mid-day close are the calmest. Combine with the Vidyashankara temple in the same complex.
Please note
Do: dress conservatively — shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Do: join the prasada queue rather than skipping it; it is offered to all. Don't: photograph inside the sanctum. Don't: fish in the Tunga — the fish are protected; feeding them is the custom. Don't: bathe with soap at the ghats.
Combine your trip
Places near Sringeri Sharadamba Temple
TempleVidyashankara Temple, Sringeri
Fourteenth-century Vijayanagara stone, with twelve zodiac pillars that catch the sun month by month.
Rishyashringa Temple, Kigga
The rain-bringer's shrine, ten kilometres above Sringeri in the rainforest.
WaterfallSirimane Falls
A stepped, family-friendly fall near Kigga
Hariharapura Sharada Peetham
A Shankaracharya foundation on the Tunga that almost no visitor to Sringeri ever hears about.