Bramhatantra Swatantra Parakala Matha, commonly known as Parakala Matha, is a Hindu Sri Vaishnava monastery founded during the Hoysala Empire in 1268 at Mysore, Karnataka, primarily worshipping Vishnu and Lakshmi as Hayagriva and Vageesha. It is the first mediaeval era monastery of the Vadakalai denomination within Vaishnavism in the Hindu society and is the gurupeeta, the seat of the royal guru, of the maharajas of Mysore.
Originally founded in Mysore where its headquarters has been based, the matha has branches across southern India and as well as one abroad.
Etymology Parakala is a Sanskrit adjective meaning "beyond time". It is an epithet of Vishnu's incarnation as Narasimha, and by derivation means "he who is beyond time". Alvar Tirumangai, an influential figure in the monastery's history, earned parakala as an honorary style for his scholarship, after whom the monastic came to be known as Parakala Matha.
History Parakala Matha was first founded by Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeeyar, a disciple of Swami Vedanta Desika, during the reign of the Hoysala emperor Narasimha III. It is among the monasteries that view Vedanta Desika as the torchbearer of Āchārya Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita teachings, the others being Ahobila Matha at Ahobilam, Andavan Ashramam at Srirangam, and Andavan Ashramam at Poundarikapuram. The Hayagriva idol worshipped at the hermitage is said to have been handed down from Vedanta Desika himself.Swami Swahananda: "Monasteries in South Asia", page 50. Vedanta Press, 1989.
Āchārya tradition There have been a total of thirty-six āchāryas (pontiffs or principal seers) so far.
The head of the matha is also the hereditary raja guru of the Mysore Royal Family. The matha has thus had connections with the monarchs of Mysore Kingdom since 1399, one of the reasons for the proximity of Jaganmohana Palace and Mysore Palace to it. Most of the royal ceremonies are officiated by seers of the hermitage.
List of āchāryas PortraitGuru/ĀchāryaFull namePresidedFounding āchāryasNigamantha DesikanSri Nigamantha Maha Desikan1268 - 1369Disciple āchāryas1PerarulālaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Perarulāla Jîyar Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1286 - 13862Aiyan AppaiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vātsya Vêdānta Rāmānuja ‘Perarulāla Aiyan Appai’ Dviteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1386 - 13943ŚrinivasaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Triteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1394 - 14064Parakāla SwamiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Parakāla Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1406 - 14245RāmānujaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1425 - 14406ŚrinivasaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1440 - 14607NārāyanaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Nārāyana Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1460 - 14828RangarajaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Rangaraja Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1482 - 14989Maha Deśikan SwamiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Brahmatantra Swatantra Maha Deśikan1498 - 151710YatirājaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Yatirāja Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1517 - 153511VaradaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varada Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1535 - 155212ParānkushaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Parānkusha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1552 - 156713SimhaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Kavitaarkika Simha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1567 - 158314YativaryaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Yativarya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1583 - 160715JnanābdhiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Jnanābdhi Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1607 - 161816VeeraraghavaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Veeraraghava Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1619 - 164017VaradaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varada Vêdānta Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1640 - 165218VarāhaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varāha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1652 - 166319LakshmanaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Lakshmana Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1663 - 167320YogindraŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varada Vêdānta Yogindra Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1673 - 167621Periya ParakalaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Periya Parakāla 'Dodda Parakāla' Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi1676 - 173822ŚrinivasaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1738 - 175023Vêdānta SwamiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1750 - 177024ŚrinivasaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1770 - 177125RāmānujaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1771 - 181026Ghantāvatāra SwamiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Ghantāvatāra Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1810 - 182827Vêdānta SwamiŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1828 - 183528ŚrinivasaŚri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1835 - 186029ŚrinivasaŚri Śrinivasa Desikendra Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1860 - 187330RanganathaŚri Ranganatha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1873 - 188531KrishnaŚri Krishna Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1885 - 191532VāgeeshaŚri Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1915 - 192533RanganāthaŚri Abhinava Ranganātha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1925 - 196634ŚrinivasaŚri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1966 - 197235RāmānujaŚri Abhinava Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1972 - 199236VāgeeshaŚri Abhinava Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi1992–present
See also Sri Vaishnavism Ramanuja Vedanta Desika Ahobila Matha Srirangam Srimad Andavan Ashramam List of Heritage Buildings in Mysore
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