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 Vargeshi .[ 1] 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 .[ 2]
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.[ 3]
The presiding deity of Sri Parakala Matha: Lord Sri Lakshmi Hayagreeva Swami (at the centre)
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.[ 4]
List of āchāryas
Portrait
Guru/Āchārya
Full name
Presided
Founding āchāryas
Nigamantha Desikan
Sri Nigamantha Maha Desikan
1268 - 1369
Disciple āchāryas
1
Perarulāla
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Perarulāla Jîyar Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1286 - 1386
2
Aiyan Appai
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vātsya Vêdānta Rāmānuja ‘Perarulāla Aiyan Appai’ Dviteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1386 - 1394
3
Śrinivasa
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Triteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1394 - 1406
4
Parakāla Swami
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Parakāla Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1406 - 1424
5
Rāmānuja
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1425 - 1440
6
Śrinivasa
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1440 - 1460
7
Nārāyana
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Nārāyana Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1460 - 1482
8
Rangaraja
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Rangaraja Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1482 - 1498
9
Maha Deśikan Swami
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Brahmatantra Swatantra Maha Deśikan
1498 - 1517
10
Yatirāja
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Yatirāja Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1517 - 1535
11
Varada
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varada Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1535 - 1552
12
Parānkusha
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Parānkusha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1552 - 1567
13
Simha
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Kavitaarkika Simha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1567 - 1583
14
Yativarya
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Yativarya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1583 - 1607
15
Jnanābdhi
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Jnanābdhi Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1607 - 1618
16
Veeraraghava
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Veeraraghava Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1619 - 1640
17
Varada
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varada Vêdānta Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1640 - 1652
18
Varāha
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varāha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1652 - 1663
19
Lakshmana
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Lakshmana Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1663 - 1673
20
Yogindra
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Varada Vêdānta Yogindra Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1673 - 1676
21
Periya Parakala
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Periya Parakāla 'Dodda Parakāla' Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi
1676 - 1738
22
Śrinivasa
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1738 - 1750
23
Vêdānta Swami
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1750 - 1770
24
Śrinivasa
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1770 - 1771
25
Rāmānuja
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1771 - 1810
26
Ghantāvatāra Swami
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Ghantāvatāra Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1810 - 1828
27
Vêdānta Swami
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vêdānta Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1828 - 1835
28
Śrinivasa
Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1835 - 1860
29
Śrinivasa
Śri Śrinivasa Desikendra Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1860 - 1873
30
Ranganatha
Śri Ranganatha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1873 - 1885
31
Sri Krishna Parakala Swami 31st Pontiff of Parakāla Matham
Krishna
Śri Krishna Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1885 - 1915
32
His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Abhinava Vageesa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Swami, 32nd Pontiff of Sri Parakala Mutt
Vāgeesha
Śri Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1915 - 1925
33
Ranganātha
Śri Abhinava Ranganātha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1925 - 1966
34
Śri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi 34th Pontiff of Parakāla Mutt
Śrinivasa
Śri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1966 - 1972
35
Śri Abhinava Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi 35th Pontiff of Parakāla Mutt
Rāmānuja
Śri Abhinava Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1972 - 1992
36
Śri Abhinava Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi 36th Pontiff of Parakāl̥a Mutt
Vāgeesha
Śri Abhinava Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi
1992–present
See also
References
^ "Home" . parakalamatham.org .
^ Bairy, Ramesh (11 January 2013). Being Brahmin, Being Modern: Exploring the Lives of Caste Today . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-19819-9 . The Maharajah's Sanskrit College in Mysore was older, more prestigious and 'sacred' than the Chamarajendra Sanskrit College in Bangalore. Both these colleges received patronage from the Sringeri Matha (a Smarta institution) and the Parakala matha (a Srivaishnavite institution, the official Gurupeeta [seat of the teacher] of the Mysore king).
^ Swami Swahananda: "Monasteries in South Asia", page 50. Vedanta Press, 1989.
^ Viraraghavacharya, T. K. T. (1997). History of Tirupati: The Thiruvengadam Temple . Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
12°18′27″N 76°39′03″E / 12.307438°N 76.650846°E / 12.307438; 76.650846