Pascimāmnāya Śrī Śāradā Pītham or Dwarka Sharada Math, is one amongst the four cardinal
peethams believed by its followers to be established by
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
, preserving and propagating
Sanatana Dharma and
Advaita Vedanta, the doctrine of
non-dualism. Located in the city of
Dwaraka,
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
it is the ''pascimāmnāya matha'', or Western Āmnāya Pītham
[Pasricha, Prem C. (1977) The Whole Thing the Real Thing, Delhi Photo Company, p. 59-63] amongst the four Chaturāmnāya Pīthams. It is also known as the Kālikā Matha. Their Vedantic mantra or
Mahavakya is ''Tattvamasi'' ("That('s how) you are"). According to tradition, believed to be initiated by Adi Shankara, it holds authority over Sama Veda. The head of the matha is called
Shankarayacharya, the title derives from
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
.
Structure
Dvaraka Pitha is one of the four (religious centers) believed by tradition to be established by
Adi Shankaracharya (9th cent. CE,) who is portrayed as pioneering the unification of
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
religious beliefs in the country. It is a four storied structure representing four believed by a tradition, developed in the 14th-17th century, to be established by Shankaracharya in different parts of the country. There are paintings on the walls here depicting the life history of Shankaracharya while the dome has carvings of
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
in different postures.
Website
www.shreesharadapithmathdwarka.org
Recent Shankaracharyas
# Shri Trivikrama Tirtha was the head of the monastery until 1921 when he was succeeded by Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha.
# Shri
Bharati Krishna Tirtha was invited to lead the Puri matha in 1925 after the position had become vacant.
# Shri Bharati Krishna Tirtha was succeeded by Shri
Swarupananda Saraswati.
# Shri Swaroopananda Saraswati was succeeded by Shri Sadananda Saraswati in 2022.
In 1945, Shri Abhinava Sachchidananda Tirtha was nominated to the position. Before assuming his position at Dwarka, Abhinava was the head of the Mulabagal Math in Karnataka, which was the 17th century branch of the Dvaraka Math. As a result, the cumulative lineage of Mulabagal Math was merged with Dwarka when Abhinava took office there. Years later Shri Sachchidananda helped to mediate the Shankarcharya successions at Puri and Jyotir Math.
Since Abhinava died in 1982, this peeth has been led by
Swarupananda Saraswati[Unknown author (5 May 1999) archive]
here
Accessed: 2012-08-30. o
Advaita Vedanta web page, retrieved 28 August 2012[Author unknown (2008]
Swami Swarupananda Saraswati bio
Web site of Swami Swarupananda Saraswati, retrieved 4 August 2012 who is one of the claimants to the position of Shankaracharya of the northern matha called Jyotish Pitha or
Jyotir Math
Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or JyotirMath is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the Ādi Śaṅkara 1200 years ago to preserve Hinduism and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in the city of J ...
.
[Unknown author (2005]
Indology
The Jyotirmaṭha Śaṅkarācārya Lineage in the 20th Century, retrieved 4 August 2012
After the death of Swami Swarupananda Saraswati, who was the Shankracharya of Dwarka Sharada Math, Sadananda Saraswati was made the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Sharada Math.
Notes
See also
*
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
*
Shankaracharya
*
Kalady, Kerala - the holy birthplace of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya
*
Govardhan Math Peetham (East), Puri, Orissa
*
Jyotir Badrikashram Peetham (North), Joshimath, Uttarakhand
*
Shri Sringeri Sharada Peetham (South), Sringeri, Karnataka
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwaraka Pitha
Hindu organisations based in India
Shankaracharya mathas in India
Hinduism in Gujarat
Adi Shankara
8th-century establishments in India
Dwarka