Govardhan Math

One of the four maths or sacred centers
traditionally believed to have been established by the great philosopher Shankaracharya; the others are the Sharada
math, Shringeri math, and Jyotir math.
These four sacred centers are each associated with one of the four geographical corners of the Indian subcontinent; the
Govardhan math is in the eastern quarter,
in the city of Puri on the shores of the Bay
of Bengal. Shankaracharya is traditionally
cited as the founder of the Dashanami
Sanyasis, the most prestigious Hindu
ascetic order. The Dashanami (“ten
names”) ascetics are devotees (bhakta) of
the god Shiva and are divided into ten divisions, each with a different name. These
ten divisions are organized into four larger
organizational groups—Anandawara,
Bhogawara, Bhuriwara, and Kitawara—
each of which has two or three of the ten
divisions and is associated with one of the
four sacred centers. Of these, the
Govardhan math is associated with the
Bhogawara group.