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Shri Chitrapur Math is the central ''math'' (community temple) for the
Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin Chitrapur Saraswats are a small Konkani-speaking community of Hindu Brahmins in India. They are traditionally found along the Kanara coast and call themselves ''Bhanaps'' in the Konkani language. This is a small community from India spread th ...
sect. It has been located at
Shirali Shirali is a village in Bhatkal taluk of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Math and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple. The Chitrapur Math is the holiest temple of the Chitrapur Sar ...
in the
Bhatkal Bhatkal, is a coastal town in the Uttara Kannada District of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bhatkal lies on National Highway 66, which runs between Mumbai and Kanyakumari, and has Bhatkal railway station which is one of the major railway s ...
Taluk in the
North Kanara Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Uttara Kannada District is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and currently holding the title of the largest district in Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Bela ...
district of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
since 1757. The other ''maths'' of the community are located in
Gokarna Gokarna may refer to: Places * Gokarna, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India * Gokarna, West Bengal, a village in West Bengal, India * Gokarnamatam, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India * Trincomalee, a city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka also known ...
, Karla,
Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...
and Mallapur. All of the ''maths'' have the insignia of the saffron flag. The chief deity worshipped in the ''math'' is Shri Bhavanishankar, a form of
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. The other 6 sanctorums of the temple are of the
Samadhis ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...
of the previous GuruSwami's of the community. Daily puja is carried out at the shrine of Bhavanishankar as well as the other Swamijis. Shri Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji is the head of the ''math'', having ascended the ''Peetha'' in February 1997. Shree Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji is the eleventh of this lineage of Gurus which began in 1708.


History

Swami Parijnanashram I is believed to have been a direct avatar of Shiva himself and he came down from somewhere in the North (probably
Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...
). Not many details are known about this Swami, since record-keeping within the ''math'' started in about 1722. Swami Shankarashram hailed from the Harite family. He was consecrated by Shri Parijnanashram Swami in 1720 (Sharvari Chaitra Sh-15). He attained ''mahasamadhi'' in 1757 (Ananda, Phalgun Sh-5). At this point the issue of location of his Samadhi came up, and the Nagarkatti family offered their house in Chitrapur, Shirali for construction of the Samadhi and the Temple, which stands till today. Shri Shankarashram-I had not adopted any disciple which caused some concern as to the continuity of this lineage. The threat of property takeover by the regional authorities loomed large over the Math, and a member of the Pandit family was considered a worthy person for this position. He was ordained Shri Parijnanashram-II. He adopted a disciple from the priestly family of Shukla, assigning him the name of Shri Shankarashram-II, and spent his life in Kollur in Dhyan (intense meditation), though he often visited Shirali. His Samadhi is located to the right of the Main Samadhi at Shri Chitrapur Math, Shirali.. The samadhi of Swami Shankarashram-II is located in Mallapur. The disciple chosen by him hailed from the Talgeri family and was given the name of Shri Keshavashram. He began acquiring land and other agricultural assets for the ''math''. Swami Keshavashram ordained a young disciple once again from the Shukla family under the name Shri Vamanashram, who entrusted day-to-day matters of the ''math'' to the priests. He attained ''mahasamadhi'' in
Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...
. A disciple adopted by him from the Nagarkar family was ordained for
Sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' A ...
under the title of Shri Krishnashram. During the reign of Shri Krishnashram most of the disciples were brought round from Vaishnava practices, land was purchased and reforms introduced. The Rath Utsava (chariot festival) was started. He was a scholar in
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and the ''
shastras ''Shastra'' (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The wo ...
''. The disciple ordained by him was Shri Pandurangashram. Shri Pandurangashram, of the Nagarkar family, was the eighth sant, and reigned for over fifty years. He was ordained into Sanyasa at 12 years of age and was trained under the Guruswami for five years. The greater part of the ''math'' was rebuilt and all the Samadhis of his predecessors were reconstructed with silver under this tutelage. He built a school, a post office and other structures of necessity in the village. He was a scholar of
Vedic astrology Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. It is one ...
and the
Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
. He attained ''mahasamadhi'' in 1915. The ''peetha'' was then ascended by Shri Anandashram Swamiji, who hailed from the Haridas Family. He was ordained hardly 8 days prior to the ''mahasamadhi'' of Shri Pandurangashram Swamiji. Since his initiation in Sanyasa took place at very early age, he was not able to be personally guided by the Guruswami. He improved the financial position of the ''math'', which had dwindled during his early years, by making payments of ''vantiga'' (donations) almost mandatory. He reigned for 51 years and traveled widely. He attained ''mahasamadhi'' in
Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
in 1966. A disciple was adopted by Sri Anandashram Swamiji in 1959, once again from the Shuklakar family. His name was Swāmi Parijnānāshram III. He restarted the ''Rathotsava'' since it had been discontinued by previous Swamis for financial reasons. He collected antiques and artifacts to set up a museum. He started a school for the disabled in Bolinj at Virar near
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
. Swāmi Parijnānāshram III attained ''mahasamadhi'' in Bangalore in 1991. His Samadhi is located at Karla near Lonavla in Maharashtra. The samadhi enclave also contains a temple of Goddess
Durga Parmeshwari Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around comb ...
and Shree
Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...
just like the other Swamijis.


Shree Sadyojat Shankarashram Swami

The previous Swamiji had not adopted a disciple (''shisya''). But some members of the community found out that a Saraswat youth had taken Sannyas and was in
Mount Abu Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at above ...
. They requested him to ascend the ''Peetha''; he agreed, and became the 11th Guru.


Lineage of Swamis

The lineage of all Swamis of this Math is called The Guru Parampara. *Parijnanashram-I Swamiji (1708–1720) *Shankarashram-I Swamiji (1720–1757) *Parijnanashram-II Swamiji (1757–1770) *Shankarashram-II Swamiji (1770–1785) *Keshavashram Swamiji (1785–1823) *Vamanashram Swamiji (1823–1839) *Krishnashram Swamiji (1839–1863) *Pandurangashram Swamiji (1863–1915) *Anandashram Swamiji (1915–1966) * Swāmi Parijnānāshram III (1966–1991) *
Sadyojat Shankarashram Sadojyat Shankarashram is the spiritual leader Chitrapur Ma ...
Swamiji (1997-)


References

All these books are internal publication and are available with the Chitrapur Math *Kanara Saraswat *Guru-Parampara - The Book *''50 Years of Bliss,'' Gopal S Hattiangdi, Bombay, 1965. via https://web.archive.org/web/20191118100127/http://www.chitrapurebooks.com/ *Interview with Chitrapur Math Managers and Staff


Also Read

*
Gaudapada Gauḍapāda (Sanskrit: गौडपाद; ), also referred as Gauḍapādācārya ("Gauḍapāda the Teacher"), was an early medieval era Hindu philosopher and scholar of the ''Advaita'' Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. While details o ...
charya *
Govinda Bhagavatpada Govinda Bhagavatpada (IAST ) was the Guru of the Adi Shankara. Little is known of his life and works, except that he is mentioned in all the traditional accounts ( Shankara Vijayams) as the teacher of Adi Shankara. He was the disciple of Gaudapad ...
*
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...
charya *
Shri Gaudapadacharya Math Shri Gaudapadacharya Math ( sa, श्री संस्थान गौडपदाचार्य मठ, '), also known as (), located in Kavale, Ponda, Goa, is the oldest matha of the Smarthan Saraswat Brahman Samaj. It was founded by ...


External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20190927092700/http://www.kanarasaraswat.in/ *http://www.chitrapurmath.net *https://web.archive.org/web/20191118100127/http://www.chitrapurebooks.com/ {{Hindu temples in Karnataka Hindu temples in Uttara Kannada district Konkani Hindu monasteries in India