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Maţha

 
Wikipedia: Maţha

A maţha (also written math, matha or mutt) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of the Hindu tradition.[1] A maţha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.

Advaita Maţhas

The oldest such institutions follow the Advaita tradition, where the head of a maţha is called a Shankaracharya, a title derived from Ādi Śankara. Śankara was a prominent religious teacher of the eighth century, from whose philosophies originate the environment of popular modern Indian thought.[2] Ādi Śankara established the following mathas, with each of his four main disciples in charge: Sureshwaracharya, Hastamalakacharya, Padmapadacharya, and Totakacharya respectively. The four Āmnāya maţhas founded by Ādi Śankara, all of the Smarta tradition, are:

In addition, these Advaita mathas also claim they were founded by Ādi Śankara:

References

  1. ^ Britannica Online Encyclopedia, matha. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 22 Jan. 2009.
  2. ^ Britannica Online Encyclopedia, Śankara. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 22 Jan. 2009 .

See also



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