Madhava, Vidyaranya, Sringeri, and Kulke

[Swaminathan Madhuresan]

The Sankaraite tradition  received good amount of patronage
from South Indian royalty (Cholas, Pandyas, Hoysalas, etc.,).
I think this royal grants played a key role in the preservation
of Sankaran heritage. In those times (ie., prior to 14th century),
no Sankara maThas are attested.

The founding of the Vijayanagar empire by Kannada chieftains
as the successor of the Hoysala dynasty seems to have
provided new opportunity, and initiated heavy competetion between
Maadhvic and Advaitic groups in the Kannada countryside (Udipi, Sringeri)
to seek royal support and recognition. Madhava Vidyaranya probably used
the old royal patronage of Sankaran traditions to influence the new
chiefs at Vijayanagar, and founded the first Sankaran maTha.
To achieve the royal grants, M. Vidyaranya probably used Vidyasankara's
connections with Hoysalas as Vidyasankara's seal employs the Hoysala
symbol, the varaha. OTOH, being a fairly recent group, the followers
of Madhva could not win royal support as much as Vidyaranya in the
14th century. However for a later dynasty,Maadhvas gained foothold
in Vijayanagar.




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