Shringeri Math

One of the four maths or monastic centers traditionally believed to have been
established by the great philosopher
Shankaracharya; the others are the
Jyotir Math, Sharada Math, and
Govardhan Math. These four sacred
centers are each associated with one of
the four geographical corners of the
Indian subcontinent; the Shringeri Math
is in the southern quarter, in the city of
Shringeri in the southern Indian state of
Karnataka. 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, who
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
each of which is associated with one of
the four sacred centers. Of these, the
Shringeri Math is associated with the
Bhuriwara group.