Sringeri is situated on the banks of Tunga River in the Chikkamaglore district of Karnataka. It is best known for the Sharadamba (Saraswati) Temple and the Shankara Math established by Adi Shankaracharya. This one is the first among the four monasteries (The other three are: Puri, Dwaraka and Jyotirmath) he established across India. Shringeri lies in the Malenadu region of Karnataka located near Agumbe. It is a calm and quiet place. Shringeri is a popular site in Karnataka. Largely the devotees of Sharadamba visit. Shringeri also hosts a Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (center for Vedic studies) attracting students from all across India.
There is a temple of much significance i.e. the Vidyashankar temple. This temple was built around the 13th and 14th century by the guru of Vijayanagara Empire (Vidyaranya). The temple stands as a monument displaying the architectural skills of Southern India. It was built in the Hoysala style combining the Vijayanagara style. The temple is built in such a way that the deity receives sunrise views according to the each zodiac season. The doors are set in such that the sun rays fall upon the deity on all seasons. Another feature of the temple is the astronomical pillars of the main hall. The hall consists of twelve pillars each for a Zodiac sign. One would be able to mark the Zodiac month by seeing at which pillar the rays of the sun would fall on. Just beside the Vidyashankar temple there is Sharadamba temple. This is the shrine of Godess Saraswathi. Sringeri hosts Sharada Peetha (this is the math established by Adi Shankara) that needs a few minutes’ walk from the temple cluster. This is the abode of Jagadgurus of Shankara Math. There are quite a few tourist destinations nearby Sringeri. They are Horanadu (Annapurneswari temple), Kalasa, and the sunset point at Agumbe.
Sringeri can be reached via Udupi or via Chikkamaglore. Mangalore is the nearest airport to reach Sringeri. Sringeri is well connected by road transport. Sringeri can be reached by rail route; two routes are preferred. If Bangalore is your starting point then get down at Beruru by the daily passenger train. If are coming from the Northern States, you can take the Konkan Railway route, get down at Mangalore or Udupi and then proceed towards Sringeri.
