Visit Sri Vidyashankara Temple of Sringeri: A Marvel Of Vedic Architecture (2024)

An Introduction to Sri Vidyashankara Temple

The South Indian temples, which are mostly constructed in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture, carry the eminence with them. The towers and pillars are the specialty of these temples with some beautiful calligraphic inscriptions and drawings over it. It is also believed that most of these temples are constructed in a way, as per the books of Vedic architecture inscribes. The Vedic architecture of Indian origin is a prominent example of the eminence of Hinduism and its contribution to the world on how any structure can be constructed. Now let us take a look at one of such temples, which is constructed as per the books of Vedic architecture, which is also known as an elite example of the architecture, Sri Vidyashankara Temple of Sringeri. Image Source

An Overview of Sri Vidyashankara Temple of Sringeri

Sringeri is a famous temple town in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka province of South India. The town goes after one of the major religious philosophers and saints of the time, Sri Sankaracharya, who has established many prominent temples in South India. The temple of Sri Vidyashankara is believed to be established during the period of 1338. Sri Vidyashankara Temple does have some special features and facts that add to its beauty, making it appear a major pilgrim destination in the temple town of Sringeri in Karnataka. The Sri Vidyashankara Temple is located close to the Sharada Peetham, which is associated with Adi Sankara, also known as Sri Sankaracharya. He is believed to be the Saint who established the concept of Advaitha Mathas in the eighth century.

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The two major leaders of the Advaitha Matha were Vidyashankara and Vidyaranya, who built the temples and also were behind the establishment of the Vijayanagara empire to protect the Hindu community from the Muslim invaders from the northern parts of India.

The temple of Sri Vidyashankara was constructed to commemorate the services of the leaders of Advaitha Matha towards the Vijayanagara empire and the Hindu community.

The Architectural Eminence of Sri Vidyashankara Temple

The Sri Vidyashankara Temple complex is built around the resting place of Vidyashankara. The blend of both the Dravidian style of architecture with the traditional Vijayanagara style has been executed perfectly in the construction of the temple. The Sri Vidyashankara Temple has a range of special features that no other temple or the places of worship can claim, making it more elegant.

There are twelve pillars in the Sri Vidyashankara Temple which resemble 12 zodiac signs of the calendar. The beauty of the Vedic architecture can be spotted here as the 12 pillars of the Sri Vidyashankara Temple will be witnessing the sunlight at 12 different months of the Hindu calendar. Moreover, the floor with a circle in between captures the shadow of the pillar.

Lord Shiva is the prime deity of worship here as he is also known as Shankara. The Shivalinga, like in most of the temples, is also used here to worship the deity. The other shrines in the Sri Vidyashankara Temple include the idols of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Goddess Durga.

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There is also a sandalwood idol of the deity Sharadamba which was destroyed during the Muslim attacks from the northern parts of India. Currently, the deity of Sharadamba has been replaced with a golden idol. Adi Sankara, who himself placed the sandalwood idol of Sharadamba here at the Sri Vidyashankara Temple he is a well-known devotee of Goddess Sharadamba.

How To Reach Sri Vidyashankara Temple?

By Road: Undoubtedly, Sringeri is a major place of worship and a prominent temple town in South India. The popularity of the place is enough as they have extended connectivity via road to almost all major cities of South India. The proximity of the temple town to Mangalore makes road transport an easy and viable option to consider.

By Rail: The major railway station of Sringeri is located nearly 4.4 km away from the Vidyashankara Temple. The connectivity between these two spots via road is easy, and moreover, you can easily avail of train service to the junction of Sringeri from any major railway station of South India conveniently.

By Air: The Mangalore airport is the closest airport located to the Sri Vidyashankara Temple of Sringeri. Even though the airport is nearly 105 km away, the tourists can reach the destination within less than two hours.

Conclusion

Sri Vidyashankara Temple of Sringeri is without any doubt an architectural marvel and, above all, a wonderful pilgrim destination in South India. This will be a major missing in your travel wishlist if you miss out on this temple and its architectural features. So plan your trip and pack your bags when it is safe to travel again.