P.J.
0
Kudli Sringeri Matt
Kudli is a place of pilgrimage situated at a distance of about nine miles to the north-east of Shimoga and at the confluence of the Tunga and the Bhadra.
The Smarta matt at Kudli is a descendant of the main matt at Sringeri and has among its disciples the Smarta Brahmans of northern Karnatak.
Buchanan writes of this Matt as follows :
" 1801, April 4. Kudli,
Kudli or Joining is an agraharam or village given in Enam to the Brahmans and is situated between the Tunga and Bhadra rivers at their junction, whence the place derives its name.
It was plundered and burnt, as I have already mentioned by a party of the Marattah army who put all the Sudra inhabitants to the sword, although the place is quite defenceless; nor did the people attempt to make any resistance. After this the Brahmans went to complain to the Bhow, who gave each of them one rupee as in duty (dharma) bound."
I found that the guru or swamy was at Hara-punya-hally employed in begging as it is called. He had with him all his principal disciples ; so that the Brahmans who remained at Kudli were not men of great intelligence, but they gave me a copy in the Marattah character, of the Sankara Achariya cheritra or an account of the life and actions of that very celebrated personage. It is esteemed a book of great authority and has been delivered to the Bengal Government!"
These ruffians did not even spare Kudali swamy who is the guru of all the Marattah Brahmans of the Smarta sect and, who is by them considered as an actual incarnation* of the deity. His matam or college was plundered and burnt ; but this cost the Peshaw dear.
The enraged swamy held out threats of instant excommunication, and was only pacified by a present of 4,00,000 rupees. Tipoo had the satisfaction of taking one half of this sum which was the assessment levied from him on account of the Nuzzur that Lord Cornwallis exacted. "
The swamy is said to have been of great use in the famine and to have employed the utmost of his influence in collecting money to support the starving wretches.
He daily fed 3000 Brahmans and other religious mendicants; for, according to the .Hindu doctrine, it is the charity -which is bestowed on religious men that chiefly procures favour in the eyes of the gods.
In his distribution the swamy is said to have expended six lacs of rupees or 604411. 13s. 4d. most of which was collected in the Marattah states."
(Buchanan's Mysore, Oanaraand Malabar; Vol. II, pp. 411-412.)
The Kudli Matt appears to have been in a very flourishing condition during the time of the Peshvas in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the same time there also appears to have been some disparity between this matt and the one at Sringeri as can be seen from the several letters and sannads in the possession of these matts.
The Kudli matt is further said to have been adjudged by the court Adalat as a responsible institution in the dispensation of the religious morale of all the disciples, while the matt at Sringeri concerned itself mainly with worship in the Sarada temple at Sringeri.
But the various lithic and other records show that the Matt at Sringeri which appears to be the earlier of the two matts was established during the Vijayanagar period and has continued in an unbroken line of succession of gurus up to now; so that the claim of the Kudli matt that it is itself the main one while the matt at Sringeri is its branch is open to serious question, though it may have in its possession certain records and copper plates in support of their claim.
At Sringeri there are records on the other hand to show that the branch matt at Kudli was established by one Ammaji svami and that after the demise of this svami the villages and lands belonging to it had for a time been transferred to. the possession of the Sringeri matt.
From Inscription No. 81, Shimoga, it is learnt that Ammaji svami, the founder of the Kudli matt, was a contemporary of Hiri Venkatappa Nayaka of Keladi who ruled between 1582 and 1629 A.D. The real name of Ammaji svami was Narasimha Bharati whose dates are mentioned as between Saka 1468 and 1508 in the annals of the matt.
At the request of the Kudali Sringeri Matt some of the important records in its possession are noticed here. For other records of the Matt noticed elsewhere please see Ep. Car., Vol. VII.
Kudli is a place of pilgrimage situated at a distance of about nine miles to the north-east of Shimoga and at the confluence of the Tunga and the Bhadra.
The Smarta matt at Kudli is a descendant of the main matt at Sringeri and has among its disciples the Smarta Brahmans of northern Karnatak.
Buchanan writes of this Matt as follows :
" 1801, April 4. Kudli,
Kudli or Joining is an agraharam or village given in Enam to the Brahmans and is situated between the Tunga and Bhadra rivers at their junction, whence the place derives its name.
It was plundered and burnt, as I have already mentioned by a party of the Marattah army who put all the Sudra inhabitants to the sword, although the place is quite defenceless; nor did the people attempt to make any resistance. After this the Brahmans went to complain to the Bhow, who gave each of them one rupee as in duty (dharma) bound."
I found that the guru or swamy was at Hara-punya-hally employed in begging as it is called. He had with him all his principal disciples ; so that the Brahmans who remained at Kudli were not men of great intelligence, but they gave me a copy in the Marattah character, of the Sankara Achariya cheritra or an account of the life and actions of that very celebrated personage. It is esteemed a book of great authority and has been delivered to the Bengal Government!"
These ruffians did not even spare Kudali swamy who is the guru of all the Marattah Brahmans of the Smarta sect and, who is by them considered as an actual incarnation* of the deity. His matam or college was plundered and burnt ; but this cost the Peshaw dear.
The enraged swamy held out threats of instant excommunication, and was only pacified by a present of 4,00,000 rupees. Tipoo had the satisfaction of taking one half of this sum which was the assessment levied from him on account of the Nuzzur that Lord Cornwallis exacted. "
The swamy is said to have been of great use in the famine and to have employed the utmost of his influence in collecting money to support the starving wretches.
He daily fed 3000 Brahmans and other religious mendicants; for, according to the .Hindu doctrine, it is the charity -which is bestowed on religious men that chiefly procures favour in the eyes of the gods.
In his distribution the swamy is said to have expended six lacs of rupees or 604411. 13s. 4d. most of which was collected in the Marattah states."
(Buchanan's Mysore, Oanaraand Malabar; Vol. II, pp. 411-412.)
The Kudli Matt appears to have been in a very flourishing condition during the time of the Peshvas in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the same time there also appears to have been some disparity between this matt and the one at Sringeri as can be seen from the several letters and sannads in the possession of these matts.
The Kudli matt is further said to have been adjudged by the court Adalat as a responsible institution in the dispensation of the religious morale of all the disciples, while the matt at Sringeri concerned itself mainly with worship in the Sarada temple at Sringeri.
But the various lithic and other records show that the Matt at Sringeri which appears to be the earlier of the two matts was established during the Vijayanagar period and has continued in an unbroken line of succession of gurus up to now; so that the claim of the Kudli matt that it is itself the main one while the matt at Sringeri is its branch is open to serious question, though it may have in its possession certain records and copper plates in support of their claim.
At Sringeri there are records on the other hand to show that the branch matt at Kudli was established by one Ammaji svami and that after the demise of this svami the villages and lands belonging to it had for a time been transferred to. the possession of the Sringeri matt.
From Inscription No. 81, Shimoga, it is learnt that Ammaji svami, the founder of the Kudli matt, was a contemporary of Hiri Venkatappa Nayaka of Keladi who ruled between 1582 and 1629 A.D. The real name of Ammaji svami was Narasimha Bharati whose dates are mentioned as between Saka 1468 and 1508 in the annals of the matt.
At the request of the Kudali Sringeri Matt some of the important records in its possession are noticed here. For other records of the Matt noticed elsewhere please see Ep. Car., Vol. VII.
" samthApya swamatham kr.tvA tungabhadrAnadeetatE
tatra sthitvA dvAdas.Abdam yatim pr.thvIdharAbhidham "
Confluence of Tunga and Bhadra Rivers at Kudali Kshetra where
Sri Sankaracharya, due to unforeseen circumstances
Consecrated Sri Saradhamba and
Established a Matha with Sri Prithvidhara Bharati,
one of His Disciples as its First Head.
Sankara: SELECTIONS FROM THE RECORDS OF SRI KUDALI SRINGERI MATHA (A.R.M.A.D.1945) - I
Confluence of Tunga and Bhadra Rivers at Kudali Kshetra where
Sri Sankaracharya, due to unforeseen circumstances
Consecrated Sri Saradhamba and
Established a Matha with Sri Prithvidhara Bharati,
one of His Disciples as its First Head.
Sankara: SELECTIONS FROM THE RECORDS OF SRI KUDALI SRINGERI MATHA (A.R.M.A.D.1945) - I
