Sri Sringeri Sharada Pitham is one of the important Advaita monasteries. It is located in Sringeri. The heads of the monasteries are known as Sankaracharyas. According to some historical sources, it is the first of the four original monasteries traditionally said to have been established by Sri Adi Sankara.

The maţha is in the temple town of Sringeri (also spelled Shringeri), on the banks of river Tunga, in the Chikmagalur district of the Karnataka state, India. It is about 105 kilometres from Mangalore.

The origin of the monastery is described in various traditional sources, including the Sankara Vijaya of Madhava. Sankara is said to have lived here for twelve out of his short life-span of thirty-two years.

According to legends, Sankara and his four disciples, accompanied by Bharati, an incarnation of Goddess Sarasvati reached Sringeri on an exceptionally hot noon, and as they proceeded to the river Tunga for their ablutions, they saw a frog struggling in the blazing sun to be delivered of its spawn. A cobra, a natural enemy of frogs, had raised its hood to provide the frog with shelter and protection from the ravages of the tropical sun. Sankara was greatly moved by the sight. If there was paradise on earth, here it was, where the lion and the lamb, the tiger and the cow, the cobra and the frog lived in mutual amity and peace. He turned round when, as she had already stipulated, Bharati, known also as Sarada, decided to stay for good at Sringeri on the banks of the sacred river Tunga.

Visvarupa, assuming the name of Suresvaracharya, was installed here as the successor of Sankaracharya before the latter resumed his tour to found his three pithas at Puri, Dvaraka and Badrinath. Thus the monastery traces its lineage from Suresvaracharya.

The Sringeri monastery records its tradition from the 8th century onwards. The history of the Sringeri monastery since the period of Sri Bharathi Tirtha and Sri Vidyaranya (14th century) onwards has been extensively documented. Most of the names from the Sringeri lineage up to Vidyaranya are also found in the Sri Guru Charitra, a 15th-century Marathi work by Gangadhara Sarasvati. Sringeri monastery sources report that Sankara was born in the fourteenth year of the reign of Vikramaditya. Some believe this Vikramaditya to be the Vikramaditya II of the Western Chalukya Dynasty, which ruled from Badami in Karnataka. Others believe him to the Vikramaditya of the 1st century BCE.

The monastery continues to flourish to this day, and governs many institutions.

The gurus of the monastery follow the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. Following the tradition initiated by Sankara, the monastery is in charge of the Yajur Veda (the Krishna (Black) Yajurveda is more prevalent in South India, over which the maţha has authority in the Smarta tradition). The gurus of the monastery teach that all the demigods (devas), described in the Vedas and the Puranas, are mundane manifestations of the same one cosmic spirit, called Brahman. Moreover, the innermost self of the human being is also not different from Brahman. They subscribe to the Vedic phrase "Aham Brahma Asmi", which means: "I am the Universal spirit". The gurus wear ochre robes, smear their forehead with sacred ashes or vibhuti, and worship God for many hours every day. They practice intense penance and meditation, which they believe helps in the control of the mind. They sustain themselves on an optimum diet and minimal sleep. They meditate on the Rudraksha beads and worship Shiva Linga every day. To an Advaitin, Shiva is Vishnu and Vishnu is Siva. Both are one and the same. The Sringeri gurus advocate that an individual must not merely revere a guru and listen to his teachings, but imbibe the good habits of the guru in their own life. Some of the things advocated by the gurus are:

1. Satvic habits which include vegetarianism, cleanliness, discipline, etc.
2. Regular worship of God and development of bhakti.
3. Giving importance to learning and knowledge.
4. Good conduct, honesty, generosity, and adherence to scriptures.
5. Austerity and simplicity.
6. Love, respect, and responsibility towards one's family or community.
7. Destruction of pride and ego.

The material world is considered as maya, or temporary, like a dream, so they believe that one should be involved in the material world only in order to fulfill one's responsibility. Although they adhere to the teachings of Sankara, they read other secular and religious works. Within the recorded history of the last two centuries, every one of the gurus at Sringeri has been a polyglot and a scholar with knowledge of a wide range of subjects. They do not advocate religious conversion, and believe that individuals must follow the religion of their own birth properly and correctly.

The monastery has a huge following, especially among the Vedic community. People of all castes from all over India visit the Sankaracharya at the monastery, but the majority of followers are Smarta Brahmins of South India and Maharashtra. Succession to the Sankaracharya title is through disciplic selection by the existing Sankaracharya. The successor to the monastery is usually named at a young age, from among the Vedic Brahmana community.

The maţha has enjoyed patronage from many kings and rulers. Its sage Vidyatheertha was contemporary with the founders of Vijayanagar Empire, and the maţha was given lavish grants of land by the Vijayanagar Kings. Vidyaranya another maţha head, was himself the advisor to the Vijayangar King. Tipu Sultan, the famous Muslim ruler of Mysore, also respected the Sringeri Acharyas, and helped it to sustain itself. Even in modern times the maţha has had good relations with the State and Central Governments, as it has always been politically neutral and non-controversial. In Independent India, however, with the coming of land reforms, the Sringeri maţha lost much of its traditional land and sources of income, and at one time was struggling to maintain itself. With the increase in donations by NRIs, however, things have turned for the better.

The monastery maintains good relationships with the three other monastery believed to have been founded by Sankara, located in Puri, Dvaraka, and Badrinath. In addition, over the centuries, the successive heads of the Sringeri monastery had established branch institutions, many of which continue to function, with their own collateral lineages. In the interests of preserving all the traditions derived from the Vedas, the Sringeri monastery also maintains cordial working relationships with institutions belonging to other Vedanta schools, such as the Sri Vaishnava and Madhva institutions.

(adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sringeri_Sharada_Peetham)