Sringeri - ಶೃಂಗೇರಿ

The word Sringeri is synonymous with Sri Adi Sankara, the great exponent of Advaita philosophy. The shrines of Devi Sharada and Sri Vidya Shankar stand glorious monuments to our culture and learning. The little town on the banks of Tunga river is in the midst of forests of the Western Ghats. Sringagiri is renowned since Ramayana days as sage Vibandaka and his son Rishyasringa had their hermitages here. Sri Adi Sankara was once on a visit to this place. As he was approaching the Tunga river, the spiritual and peaceful atmosphere and nature,s harmony there impressed him. On a mid-summer noon, he witnessed a frog in labour being given shelter by a cobra, a sworn enemy, and was greatly moved. This prompted Adi Sankara to establish one of the famous Sankara Mutts and install a sandalwood image of Devi Sharada, the Goddess wOf learning, in a small shrine. A stone sculpture of a snake offering hooded protection to a frog on the steps of the holy tank in Sringeri narrates this incident.