Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Hindu matha in Sringeri, Karnataka, India

Sringeri Sharada Peetham is a Hindu pilgrimage site along the Tunga River in southern Karnataka. The compound includes several temples, residences for monks, and courtyards with old trees connected by stone pathways.

Tradition holds that Adi Shankara, exponent of Advaita Vedanta, founded the Sringeri pitham and installed Sureshvaracharya as its first pontiff. The early history from the 8th to about the 14th century is unknown; sources are contradictory and records lost. Hermann Kulke dates the earliest historical evidence to the 12th century, when Sringeri was a Jain centre; Paul Dundas and Paul Hacker note no mention of the matha before the 14th century. The current pontiff, Bharathi Tirtha Svamin, is the 36th Jagadguru, and a successor-designate was appointed in 2015.

The center trains young priests and scholars who study sacred texts and perform daily rituals following ancient guidelines. The library preserves palm-leaf manuscripts that visitors can sometimes view during guided tours.

The site opens at 6 in the morning and again from 5 to 9 in the evening for ceremonies and visits. Clothing should cover shoulders and knees, and shoes must be removed before entering temple structures.

A small golden figure of the goddess sits above a Sri Chakra, a geometric pattern carved directly into the granite floor. The river splits the compound in two, so visitors walk across a bridge from one temple to another.