Sringeri Mutt

Sringeri mutt which is also known as the Sringeri Sharada Peeta administers the Sringeri Sharada temple as well as many other activities in this temple town. Sringeri is located on the banks of the gently flowing river Tunga, about 100 km from Mangalore in Chikmagalur district in the midst of verdant greenery and plantations.

Sringeri mutt is considered to be one of the important mutts established by Sri Adi Shankaracharya and is one among the four Advaita mutts. The ancestry of the mutt is shrouded in mystery but is largely believed to have existed since the 8th century, though there are interpretations that the Sringeri mutt could have been existence from much before that date. However, from the 14th century onwards, extensive documentation of the mutt’s activities is available. The mutt is headed by a Jagadguru who is entitled to the term Shankaracharya and the current Jagadguru is Sri Bharati Tirtha.

Apart from the religious activities of the temple, Sringeri mutt is involved in a lot of educational and social programmes. In the temple premises is a research wing called the Sri Shankara Advaita Research Centre. In addition, the Sringeri mutt runs many Vedic schools, temples, colleges and a hospital. It contains a library which scores of books but interestingly, there are also ancient texts and rare books preserved here. A publication wing takes care of publishing books on religion, spirituality and related things including those aimed at promoting Sanatana Dharma. It has also undertaken many steps and programmes in the area of environment conservation and protection owing to the fact that it is located in the rich forest area of the Western Ghats.