हरि सर्वोत्तम । वायु जीवोत्तम । श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ।
Just 35 km from Udupi is Hoovinakere, the janmasthala of Shri Vaadiraaja Teertha, the saint extraordinaire who established the famous Matha in Sode (Sonda, near Sirsi). Originally known as Kumbhashi Matha, this Matha is one of eight specifically setup by Acharya Madhva in the Udupi-Kundapura region to continue the unbroken tradition of Nitya Pooja since Udupi Krishna’s installation. The first Peethaadhipati of Kumbhashi Matha’s illustrious tradition was Shri Vishnu Teertha, Madhvacharya’s direct disciple and also his Poorvaashrama (pre-sanyaasa) younger brother.
Kumbhashi is easy to visit as it is on the way to Hoovinakere just off the highway – 30 km from Udupi and 7 km from Kundapura. At the center of this little town is a beautiful temple dedicated to Ganga and Hari-Hara deities – the reason for its original name of Kumbha Kashi. Next to the sanctum are Chandra and Surya Pushkarinis, which interestingly stay the same level throughout the year. It is tradition to visit this temple first for ablutions before praying at the adjacent and popular Anegudde Vinaayaka temple.
The original Kumbhashi Matha (now restored) is right next door and has shrines of Bhoota Raajaru and Moola Vrundaavanas of Shri Varadaraaja Teertha (18th Peethaadhipati, Vaadirajaru’s Paramaguru), Shri Vidyaanidhi Teertha (22nd Peethaadhipati, Vaadiraajaru’s Prashishya) and Shri Vijayeendra Teertha (Vaadirajaru’s Vidyaaguru). There are also old temples of Chenna Keshava (Pandava era) and Lakshmi Narayana in the same complex. Here is a quick visual tour of these places before visiting Hoovinakere:
Hoovinakere is hardly 10 minutes (< 5 km) away from Kumbhashi Matha and Anegudde Vinaayaka. It is the birthplace of Shri Vaadiraajaru, the 20th Peethadhipati in the illustrious lineage of Shri Vishnu Teertha. Raajaru (as HH is affectionately referred to by his devotees) was not only a great saint but also a philosopher, writer, reformer, composer and musician of great accomplishments – not just to Maadhva community but to Sanaatana Dharma and society of Bhaarata at large. Amongst many things, Raajaru was responsible for modifying the the Paryaaya system followed in Udupi from a 2-month to a 2-year cycle. This enabled each of the Ashta Matha-s to perform Krishna seva for all the festivals in a year (twice!) and also improve the temple. The interim 14 years gave sufficient time to do sanchaara, teach and serve the community at large. During his time, Raajaru also moved the headquarters of the Matha from Kumbhashi to the current location – the pristine, serene and divine Sode Matha.
The story of Raajaru is full of miracles starting with his very arrival on this planet. Here are some pictures of Hoovinakere and a first-hand video account of this amazing history from Shri Vadiraja Bhat, the priest in charge of the facility. He can be contacted at 91482 03108 for more information and to arrange a visit. More details are available at the official Sode Matha website HERE.
|| sarvaṁ śrī kṛṣṇārpanamastu ||
