On the bank of the Tunga river at Sringeri in Karnataka, the Goddess Sharada — a form of Saraswati, deity of wisdom and the arts — is enshrined as Sharadamba, presiding Mother of one of the holiest seats of learning in India. It was here that Adi Shankaracharya, in the eighth century, established the first of his four cardinal mathas, the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, entrusting to it the guardianship of the Vedas in the South.
The Ashtadasha stotram names the Saraswati of the Shakti Peethas as abiding in Kashmir — "Kashmire tu Saraswati" — where the ancient Sharada Peeth now lies in ruins; tradition holds that the grace of Goddess Sharada came to reside at Sringeri, making it her living seat. Worshipped first as a sandalwood image and later in gold, Sharadamba is revered by seekers of knowledge and devotion alike.
Sringeri remains a radiant centre of Sanatana learning and a beloved abode of the Mother as wisdom itself.
Sringeri's temple honours Sharadamba, goddess of learning, and sits at one of the four seats Adi Shankara is said to have established.
Source: Sringeri Sharada Peetham
