Sringeri Sharadamba Temple

ಶೃಂಗೇರಿ ಶಾರದಾಂಬಾ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ

Sharadamba

Golden image, which replaced the sandalwood image Adi Shankara placed over a Sri Chakra carved on rock

Sringeri, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka · Smarta tradition

Sringeri is the seat of the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, which the Peetham describes as the first of the four Amnaya Peethams Adi Shankara founded.

The story begins: “Adi Shankaracharya had travelled the country, in the Peetham's telling, clearing it of non-Vedic creeds.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Darshan hours
  • 10:30 am – 11:30 am · Guru Darshanam
Next aarti or puja (India time)
See the schedule below
Walking and access
The Peetham warns of heavy rain from mid-July to mid-September and cold down to about 10°C from November to February. We have no confirmed information on steps or wheelchair access.
Getting there
Train: Shivamogga, Udupi, Mangaluru or Bengaluru

Not yet confirmed: dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Told in: The history published by the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, after the Madhaviya Shankara Digvijayam

The cobra and the frog

Adi Shankaracharya had travelled the country, in the Peetham's telling, clearing it of non-Vedic creeds. He was looking for a place from which to spread Advaita Vedanta, and he came to the banks of the Tunga.

It was midday. On the riverbank Shankara saw a cobra spread its hood over a frog that was in labour, shading her from the sun.

He took this as a sign of the sanctity of the place. He chose Sringeri, and founded there the first of the four Amnaya Peethams.

He consecrated an image of the goddess Sharadamba, and the Peetham became known as the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham. The first shrine was modest: a sandalwood image of Sharada set over a Sri Chakra that Shankara carved on a rock. He appointed his chief disciple, Sureshwaracharya, as the first Acharya, and the Peetham counts its line of Acharyas as unbroken since then.

The episode is fixed in two places a visitor can find. The Sri Kappe Shankara shrine, on the river, commemorates the cobra and the frog. And the sandalwood image, replaced in the main shrine by a golden image under Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha, is now kept in the Sri Vidyashankara temple.

The Peetham's source for the founding is the Madhaviya Shankara Digvijayam, attributed to Vidyaranya, its 12th Acharya. The Peetham dates Shankara to 788–820 CE. That the Sringeri seat was the first of the four is the Peetham's own claim; it is given here as the Peetham's account, not as settled history.

Where this account comes from

  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Sharadamba sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sri Adi Shankaracharya sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: The history published by the Sringeri Sharada Peetham

Rishyashringa's hill

Sringeri takes its name from the sage Rishyashringa — Rishyashringa-giri, then Shringa-giri. Born of a deer with a horn on his forehead, he was raised in isolation by his father Vibhandaka. Lured to King Romapada's drought-struck kingdom, he brought rain at his first step, married the king's daughter Shanta, and later performed the Putrakameshti that gave King Dasharatha his four sons. He returned to the forest, and at his death merged into the linga he worshipped, now at Kigga.

Read this account

In the Peetham's account Sringeri was sacred before Shankara came — older, it says, than the Ramayana. The town takes its name from a sage: Rishyashringa-giri, the hill of Rishyashringa, became Shringa-giri and then Sringeri.

Rishyashringa was the son of the sage Vibhandaka, who was himself a son of Kashyapa. He was born of a deer and had a horn on his forehead, which is what his name means. His father raised him alone in the forest. The boy saw no other human being, knew nothing of the world, and kept the discipline of a brahmachari. Father and son worshipped a Shivalinga on a nearby hill, and the boy grew in spiritual power.

A drought struck the kingdom of King Romapada. His counsellors told him that rain would come if Rishyashringa set foot on his land. While Vibhandaka was away, court maidens lured the young sage out of the forest. When he stepped onto the parched earth, rain fell, and the drought ended.

Romapada gave him his daughter Shanta in marriage, and he stayed at the palace as an honoured guest. From there he was called to Ayodhya. King Dasharatha asked him to perform the Putrakameshti, the sacrifice for sons, and through it Dasharatha was blessed with four sons, among them Rama. The Peetham reads his married life as serving that purpose.

Afterwards he went back to the forest for a life of contemplation. When he died, a streak of light left his body and merged with the Shivalinga he worshipped.

The story is fixed in two temples. The Malahanikareshwara temple on the central hillock at Sringeri holds the linga Vibhandaka worshipped and into which he also merged. At Kigga, about seven kilometres away, the linga Rishyashringa worshipped has a horn on its head, commemorating his merger with it.

The Peetham does not cite a text for this account, and we have not yet traced its written source.

Where this account comes from

  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sage Rishyashringa sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Sringeri Sharadamba Temple matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. Sringeri is the seat of the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, which the Peetham describes as the first of the four Amnaya Peethams Adi Shankara founded.

    Source for: Sringeri is the seat of the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, which the Peetham
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The Peetham's line of Acharyas runs unbroken, in its account, from Sureshwaracharya to the 36th, Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji.

    2 sources for: The Peetham's line of Acharyas runs unbroken, in its account, from Sureshwaracha
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sri Adi Shankaracharya sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The Vidyashankara temple beside it, built in 1338, has twelve pillars marked with the signs of the zodiac in order.

    Source for: The Vidyashankara temple beside it, built in 1338, has twelve pillars marked wit
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Vidyashankara sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  4. The Peetham credits its 12th Acharya, Vidyaranya, with guiding the founding of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century.

    Source for: The Peetham credits its 12th Acharya, Vidyaranya, with guiding the founding of t
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

The present temple is a granite structure built under Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati and consecrated in May 1916, replacing an earlier Kerala-style temple of timber framing and tiled roof. The Peetham says the Mahamandapa's stone pillars are carved in the Tamil Nadu Shilpa Shastra style but gives no single style for the temple. The neighbouring Vidyashankara temple (1338) the Peetham describes as a blend of Hoysala (Chalukya) and Dravidian styles, and it is under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India.

  • Sanctum

    Golden doors of the sanctum

    The gold-covered doors at the sanctum entrance, with eight panels depicting the Ashta Lakshmi, installed for Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji's golden-jubilee birthday.

  • Great hall

    Mahamandapa pillars

    Stone pillars carved in the Tamil Nadu Shilpa Shastra style, added under Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha.

  • Detail

    Zodiac pillars of the Vidyashankara temple

    In the twelve-pillar mandapa of the neighbouring Vidyashankara temple, each pillar is marked with a sign of the zodiac, in regular order. The basement carries Puranic scenes, the Dashavatara, Kali and Shanmukha; the central ceiling has lotus and parrot carvings.

    1338 CE

  • Sculpture

    Shankara's sandalwood Sharada

    The original sandalwood image of Sharada, now housed in the Vidyashankara temple.

  • Detail

    Sri Kappe Shankara shrine

    The small shrine on the Tunga that marks where Shankara saw the cobra shading the frog.

    Where to stand: On the riverbank.

  • Sacred water

    Tunga

    The river on whose bank Shankara saw the cobra and the frog.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Sharadamba temple, morning6:00 am – 2:00 pm
Sharadamba temple, evening4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Maha Mangalarati10:00 am
Maha Mangalarati12:00 pm
Maha Mangalarati7:30 pm
Guru Darshanam10:30 am – 11:30 am
Chandramoulishwara Puja by the JagadguruFridays 20:30–22:00.9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Other templesAnd 17:00–20:00.6:00 am – 1:00 pm

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice.

Before you go

  • The Peetham says timings are subject to change with events and the Jagadguru's camps.

Walking, steps and access

The Peetham warns of heavy rain from mid-July to mid-September and cold down to about 10°C from November to February. We have no confirmed information on steps or wheelchair access.

Getting there

  • By train: Shivamogga, Udupi, Mangaluru or BengaluruThe Peetham lists these as the nearest railway stations and does not list an airport.
  • By road: Koppa · about 30 kmAbout an hour by bus, per the Peetham.
  • By road: Udupi · about 80 kmAbout 2.5 hours by bus, per the Peetham. Mangaluru is 110 km and Bengaluru 360 km.

PIN 577139 (not yet checked with India Post)

Sevas

Prices as published by the temple when we checked. They change; the temple’s booking site is final.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Sharannavaratri Mahotsava

    Sep–Oct; 11–22 October in 2026 · Ashvayuja, Shukla paksha, Pratipada to Ekadashi

    The Peetham calls it its most important festival, held in honour of Sharadamba and presided over by the Jagadguru. The Navaratri Durbar goes back to Vidyaranya, in the Peetham's account.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Rishyashringa's penance gives the place its name

    The Peetham's account of Sringeri before Shankara, which it says predates the Ramayana. No yuga is stated.

    2 sources for: Rishyashringa's penance gives the place its name
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sage Rishyashringa sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 788–820

    Adi Shankara founds the Peetham

    The Peetham gives Shankara's dates as 788–820 CE and says the Peetham was founded over twelve centuries ago. Scholars disagree about Shankara's dates; we do not yet give a scholarly dating here.

    2 sources for: Adi Shankara founds the Peetham
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sri Adi Shankaracharya sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 1338

    Vidyashankara temple built

    The stone temple beside the Sharadamba shrine was built in 1338, per the Peetham. The page does not name its builder.

    Source for: Vidyashankara temple built
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Vidyashankara sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  3. c. 1300–1399

    Vidyaranya and the Vijayanagara rulers

    In the 14th century Vidyaranya, the 12th Acharya, guided the founding of the Vijayanagara Empire. The Peetham says the rulers governed in the Acharya's name, granted it rights over the secular administration of land, and at their request he instituted the Navaratri Durbar. Later patrons it names include Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Peshwas, the Keladi rulers and the Travancore Rajas.

    Source for: Vidyaranya and the Vijayanagara rulers
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  4. 1916

    Present granite temple consecrated

    Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati consecrated the new granite temple in May 1916. It replaced a Kerala-style temple of timber and tile built under Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha and Sri Vidyaranya.

    Source for: Present granite temple consecrated
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Sharadamba sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

  5. 1999

    Golden chariot dedicated

    Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji dedicated a golden chariot to the goddess, valued by the Peetham at one crore rupees.

    Source for: Golden chariot dedicated
    • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Sharadamba sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Sri Vidyashankara Temple

    The 1338 stone temple beside the Sharadamba shrine, with the zodiac pillars.

  • Temple

    Malahanikareshwara Temple

    On the central hillock; it holds the linga of the sage Vibhandaka.

  • Temple

    Rishyashringa temple, Kigga

    Holds the horned linga linked to Rishyashringa, about 7 km from Sringeri per the Peetham.

  • Temple

    Kollur Mookambika

    Linked to Sringeri by direct bus, per the Peetham's travel page.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Sharadamba sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Temples — Sri Vidyashankara sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sri Adi Shankaracharya sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, History — Sage Rishyashringa sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Pilgrim Info — Temple Timings sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Pilgrim Info — Travel & Weather sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Sringeri Sharada Peetham, announcement — Sri Sharada Sharannavaratri Mahotsava 2026 sringeri.net · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Sringeri Sharadamba Temple”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/sringeri-sharadamba (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence