Sringeri

 

Our Sringeri and Hariharapura visit

During our recent trip to Bangalore, we were happy to visit Sringeri, on the banks of the Tunga River in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Sringeri derives its name from Shringagiri where Sage Rishyashringa had meditated on the Supreme Self in the Tretayuga.

This sacred place is closely associated with Adi Shankaracharya, who is said to have witnessed a remarkable sight here — a cobra spreading its hood to protect a frog from the scorching sun. Recognizing this as a symbol of harmony and spiritual power, he established the first Āmnāya Peetham at Sringeri.

Tradition also connects Sringeri with Ubhaya Bhārati, the highly learned wife of Maṇḍana Miśra. Regarded as an incarnation of Goddess Saraswati, she is said to have revealed her divine form after acknowledging Adi Shankaracharya’s spiritual greatness in debate. At his request, she agreed to reside at Sringeri as Sharada Devi, the presiding deity of wisdom. 

Today, the heart of the Sringeri Matha is the Goddess Sharadamba Temple, where the goddess is worshipped as the embodiment of Jñāna — spiritual wisdom.  The temple got a huge beautiful Rajagopuram in 2014.

Adjacent to the Sharadamba Temple stands the magnificent Vidya Shankara Temple, built in the 14th century during the Vijayanagara era. Its architecture beautifully blends Hoysala and Vijayanagara styles. The temple is adorned with carvings, including depictions of the Daśāvatāras. Inside, twelve massive pillars represent the twelve zodiac signs (Rāśis). They are aligned so that the sun’s rays fall upon each corresponding sign during its solar month — serving as a solar calendar.

After a seven-hour drive from Bangalore, we reached Sringeri by evening. We were very fortunate to talk to and receive blessings from Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Sannidhanam at Guru Nivas in Narasimha vanam.  He has initiated several efforts to make the teachings of Sanatana Dharma accessible globally, including online learning platforms through the Aham Brahmaasmi foundation. I feel especially grateful to be among the participants of the inaugural one-year online Vedanta course, The Quintessence of Vedanta, launched in September 2024 for students outside India. 

It was nice to see all Gita Shlokas at Guru Nivasa.  We also had the privilege of witnessing the Rudram chanting and the sacred Chandra Mouleeshwara Puja performed by Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahasannidhanam. After Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Sannidhanam’s pada puja, we could get blessings from Mahasannidhanam. It was a humbling experience to get blessings of Ubhaya Jagadgurus the same day.

Next day we spent the morning attending pujas at the Sharadamba temple and drove to Hariharapura.

Hariharapura is a sacred kṣetra located on the banks of the River Tuṅgā. It is revered as the Yajñabhūmi where Lord Dakṣa Prajāpati is believed to have performed his great yajña. It is also the Tapobhūmi where the great sage Agastya Mahārṣi had a direct vision (sākṣātkāra) of Śrī Lakṣmī Narasiṁha Svāmī. The Śālagrāma associated with Sage Agastya continues to be worshipped there even today.

Hariharapura is further regarded as a sacred Jñānabhūmi where Bhagavatpāda Ādi Śaṅkarācārya performed the Yantrodhāraṇa of the Śrīcakra and consecrated the idol of Goddess Śrī Śāradā Parameśvarī.

In 2022, the temple underwent a major renovation, and the Kumbhābhiṣekam was performed. On that auspicious occasion, an emerald Lakṣmī Narasiṁha vigraha was consecrated. The quotation boards placed around the temple are thoughtfully displayed and add to the spiritual atmosphere. Inside the temple complex there is a magnificent 27-foot-tall Iṣṭasiddhi Añjaneya statue.

During our visit, we visited the main temple and then attended the homam. We later had the blessing of Guru Śrī Swayamprakāśa Sacchidānanda Sarasvatī Mahāsvāmījī. He graciously spoke with us at length and blessed our family. After partaking of lunch prasādam at the temple, we went upstairs to visit the Gaṇeśa Prapañcha.

Gaṇeśa Prapañcha is a special collection of all items dedicated to Lord Ganesha from all over the world collected by 3 generations and donated to the temple. We found some interesting idols like sleeping Ganesha, Ganesha playing the veena, Ganesha talking on phone and work from home Ganesha. We saw sculptures and paintings of Ganesha from Cambodia, Japan and China.

We then returned to Sringeri and spent the evening near Guru Nivāsa, quietly reading the Shankara Sukti boards placed around the area, each reflecting deep philosophical insights. Watching the sunset from the Vidya Tirtha bridge, with the Tunga River flowing below and the sight of the large fish swimming, was beautiful.

Ādi Śaṅkarācārya is believed to have established four small temples in the four cardinal directions, each situated on a hillock surrounding the main temple complex. During our visit, we were able to see three of them.

To the east, closest to the Śāradā Pīṭham, is the Kāla Bhairava Temple. To the west stands the Kere Añjaneya Temple, and to the north is the Kālikāmbā Temple. We were not able to visit the Durgāmbā Temple to the south, which lies farther away in the direction of Mangaluru.

The next day, we went to the Sharadamba Temple for the Suprabhatam puja and were blessed to have an early morning glimpse of the Goddess as the temple opened.

After that, we visited Shankaragiri Hill. A majestic 32-foot granite statue of Adi Shankaracharya stands atop the hill, a short distance from the Sharada Peetham. The statue was installed by the Sringeri Jagadgurus, Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji and Vidhushekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji, to honor Shankaracharya’s life and teachings. Along with the main statue, there are statues of his four primary disciples — Sureshwaracharya, Padmapadacharya, Hastamalakacharya, and Totakacharya — who helped spread his teachings and establish the guru-parampara of the Sringeri tradition.

There is an escalator to reach the top, and the views from the hill are beautiful. There is also a musical fountain, but since it operates only in the evening, we were not able to see it. We also saw the clay figurine exhibition depicting scenes from Adi Shankaracharya’s life, along with detailed posters explaining each episode. There was a beautiful painting exhibition of the Ramayana, with write-ups from the Jagadgurus explaining its significance. One especially meaningful poster described the nine types of Rama Bhakti with examples.

From there, we went to the Suryanarayana Temple. Although the temple was closed, we were able to get a glimpse of the idol inside. We then drove to the Rishyashringa Temple.

The Rishyashringa Temple is dedicated to the great sage Rishyashringa. The story of Maharshi Rishyashringa begins with his father, Maharshi Vibhandaka, who was the son of Maharshi Kashaypa. Through divine providence and unusual circumstances, Maharshi Vibhandaka became the father of a remarkable child born of a deer, distinguished by a horn upon his forehead. This child was named Rishyashringa, meaning "deer-horn."  He later became a powerful sage whose presence was believed to bring rain and prosperity to the land. He is also associated with the Putrakameshti Yajna performed for King Dasharatha, which led to the birth of Lord Rama.

On our way back to Bangalore, we also visited the beautiful Sirimane Falls, located close to the Rishyashringa Temple. The waterfall is surrounded by lush greenery and flows down in wide, graceful steps over rocks. We spent some time enjoying the falls before continuing our journey.

We truly enjoyed our visit to Sringeri and Hariharapuram.

Sringeri and Hariharapura pictures