Narasimha, sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is believed to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to kill Hiranyakashipu, to end religious persecution and calamity on earth, thereby restoring dharma. Narasimha is often depicted with three eyes, and is described in Vaishnavism to be the God of Destruction; he who destroys the entire universe at the time of the great dissolution (Mahapralaya). Hence, he is known as Kala (time) or Mahakala (great-time), or Parakala in his epithets. There exists a matha (monastery) dedicated to him by the name of Parakala Matha at Mysuru in the Sri Vaishnava tradition. Narasimha is also described as the God of Yoga, in the form of Yoga-Narasimha.
Venkateshwara is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu and is the presiding deity of the Venkateshwara Temple, located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. Venkateshwara is also known by various other names.
Bramhatantra Swatantra Parakala Matha, commonly known as Parakala Matha, is a Vaishnava monastery established during the Hoysala Empire in 1268 at Mysuru, Karnataka, primarily worshipping Vishnu as Hayagriva along with Lakshmi as Vargeshi. It is the first medieval era monastery of the Vadakalai denomination within Vaishnavism in the Hindu society and is the gurupeeta, the seat of the raja guru or royal mentor, of the maharajas and maharanis of Mysuru.
Vedanta Desika (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikan, Swami Vedanta Desika, and Thoopul Nigamantha Desikan, was an Indian polymath who wrote philosophical as well as religious and poetical works in several languages, including Sanskrit, Manipravaḷam, Tamil and Prakrit. He was an Indian philosopher, Sri Vaishnava guru, and one of the most brilliant stalwarts of Sri Vaishnavism in the post-Ramanuja period. He was a Hindu devotee, poet, Master of Acharyas (desikan) and a logician and mathematician. He was the disciple of Kidambi Appullar, also known as Athreya Ramanujachariar, who himself was of a master-disciple lineage that began with Ramanuja. Vedanta Desika is considered to be avatar (incarnation) of the divine bell of Venkateshvara of Tirumala by the Vadakalai sect of Sri Vaishnavism. Vedanta Desika belongs to Vishvamitra/Kaushika gotra.
A matha, also written as math, muth, mutth, mutt, or mut, is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism. An alternative term for such a monastery is adheenam. The earliest epigraphical evidence for mathas related to Hindu-temples comes from the 7th to 10th century CE.
Pancharatra was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatars of Vishnu as their central deities. The movement later merged with the ancient Bhagavata tradition and contributed to the development of Vaishnavism. The Pancharatra movement created numerous literary treatises in Sanskrit called the Pancharatra Samhitas, and these have been influential Agamic texts within the theistic Vaishnava movements.
Melukote in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, in southern India, is one of the sacred places in Karnataka.It is built on rocky hills, known as Yadugiri, Yaadavagiri or Yadushaila, overlooking the Cauvery valley. Melukote is about 51 km from Mysore and 133 km (83 mi) from Bangalore.
Alagiya Manavalan, best known by his epithet Manavala Mamunigallit. 'The great saint, Manavalan' (1370–1450), was a Hindu theologian. He was a major proponent of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition in the 15th century in Tamilakam, disseminating it with the help of his eight disciples. The disciples of Manavalan established places of learning to teach the Vishishtadvaita philosophy in Tamilakam.
Varadharaja Perumal Temple, also called Hastagiri and Attiyuran, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in the city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or the Alvars. It is located in a suburb of Kanchipuram known as the Vishnu Kanchi that is a home for many famous Vishnu temples. One of the greatest Hindu scholars of Vaishnava Vishishtadvaita philosophy, Ramanuja, is believed to have resided in this temple.
The Srirangam Srimad Andavan Ashramam is a Hindu institution of the Sri Vaishnava tradition dedicated to the propagation of Ramanuja's and Vedanta Desika's philosophy of Vishishtadvaita. The head of the institution is known as the "Andavan" or "Andavan Swamigal", a title that is believed to be given by the deity Ranganatha himself to the first seer.
Sri Vaishnavism is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi, as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who are together revered in this tradition.
Vaikhanasa or Vaikhanasagama is a tradition of Hinduism that primarily worships Vishnu as the Supreme God. The tradition draws its name from the philosophy propounded by its founder, Sage Vikhanasa.
Veeraraghava Swamy Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, located in Tiruvallur, Chennai Metropolitan City, an area and headquarters in Tiruvallur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is counted as one among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshipped as Veeraraghava Perumal, and his consort Lakshmi as Kanakavalli Thayar.
The Deepaprakasa Perumal Temple, also referred to as Tiruththanka, and Tooppul, is located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Deepaprakasar, and his consort Lakshmi as Maragathavalli.
Parasara Bhattar, also called Periya Bhattar and Parashara Bhattarya, was a follower of Ramanuja, a 12th-century Sri Vaishnava teacher. He was the son of Koorathalvar. His works include the Srirangarajastavam. He wrote a commentary in Sanskrit on Vishnu Sahasranamam from a Sri Vaishnava viewpoint, titled Bhagavadguna Dharpanam, in contrast to the Advaita view of Adi Shankara.
Vaduvur Veeravalli Srinivasa Desikachariar was an Indian scholar. He studied Sanskrit and published several books. In 2001, he received the Rashtrapathi Award from the President of India as a Sanskrit scholar, one of the highest awards awarded by the Indian state.
Hinduism in Tamil Nadu finds its earliest literary mention in the Sangam literature dated to the 5th century BCE. The total number of Tamil Hindus as per 2011 Indian census is 63,188,168 which forms 87.58% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. Hinduism is the largest religion in Tamil Nadu.
Sowmyanarayana Perumal Temple is an ancient temple located in Thirukoshtiyur, a village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Sowmyanarayana Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Thirumamagal. The temple is known as the place where Ramanuja, the expounder of Vishishtadvaita philosophy preached the holy ashtakshara "Om Namo Narayanaya" to all people, irrespective of their varna.
Abaya Hastha Swayambu Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple is a holy Hindu religious site in the village of Agaram Agraharam in Hosur taluk of Krishnagiri district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 15 km from Hosur on Rayakotta Road and 65 km from Bangalore.
Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt at Melkote is a Tenkalai Sri Vaishnava Mutt founded by Ramanujacharya for the management of Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple and the propagation of Ramanuja Vishishtadvaita darshana. Yathiraja is also another name for Ramanuja.
