Parakala Matha

{{Short description|Monastery in Mysore, India}} {{Infobox monastery | name = Parakala Matha | image = Temple Office near Jagmohan Palace.jpg | caption = Entrance to the headquarters of Parakala Matha at Mysore, Karnataka | established = 1268 | location = | founder = Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeeyar | people = Thirumangai Alvar, Vedanta Desika, the Wadiyars | public_access = Yes | title = | native_name_lang = ka | native_name = ಪರಕಾಲ ಮಠ | denomination = Sri Vaishnavism | full_name = Bramhatantra Swatantra Parakala Matha | location_country = Mysore, Karnataka | website = https://www.parakalamatham.org }}

'''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 Vageesha.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parakalamatham.org/ |title=Home |website=parakalamatham.org}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bairy |first1=Ramesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GAS8TN50bJcC&q=parakala |title=Being Brahmin, Being Modern: Exploring the Lives of Caste Today |date=11 January 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-19819-9 |language=en |quote="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)."}}</ref>

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.<ref>Swami Swahananda: "Monasteries in South Asia", page 50. Vedanta Press, 1989.</ref>

thumb|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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Viraraghavacharya |first1=T. K. T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XZLXAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Tirupati: The Thiruvengadam Temple |date=1997 |publisher=Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams |language=en}}</ref>

=== List of ''āchāryas'' === {| class="wikitable" ! !Portrait !''Guru/Āchārya'' !Full name !Presided |- ! colspan="5" |Founding āchāryas |- | |thumb| |Nigamantha Desikan |Sri Nigamantha Maha Desikan |1268 - 1369 |- ! colspan="5" |Disciple āchāryas |- |1 |thumb| |Perarulāla |Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Perarulāla Jîyar Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi |1286 - 1386 |- |2 |thumb| |Aiyan Appai |Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Vātsya Vêdānta Rāmānuja ‘Perarulāla Aiyan Appai’ Dviteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi |1386 - 1394 |- |3 |thumb| |Śrinivasa |Śri Lakshmi Hayavadana Divya Pādukā Sevaka Śri Śrinivasa Triteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Swāmi |1394 - 1406 |- |4 |thumb| |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 |frameless|243x243px |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 |thumb|Sri Krishna Parakala Swami 31st Pontiff of Parakāla Matham |Krishna |Śri Krishna Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi |1885 - 1915 |- |32 |thumb|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 |frameless|226x226px |Ranganātha |Śri Abhinava Ranganātha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi |1925 - 1966 |- |34 |thumb|Śri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi 34th Pontiff of Parakāla Mutt |Śrinivasa |Śri Abhinava Śrinivasa Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi |1966 - 1972 |- |35 |thumb|Śri Abhinava Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi 35th Pontiff of Parakāla Mutt |Rāmānuja |Śri Abhinava Rāmānuja Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi |1972 - 1992 |- |36 |thumb|Śri Abhinava Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi 36th Pontiff of Parakāl̥a Mutt |Vāgeesha |Śri Abhinava Vāgeesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakāla Swāmi |1992–present |}

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Sri Vaishnavism Category:Hindu monasteries in India