Vadiraja Tirtha

Sri Vadiraja Teertharu (c.1480 – c.1600) was a Dvaita philosopher, poet, traveller and mystic. A polymath of his time, he authored many works, often polemical, on Madhva theology and metaphysics. Additionally, he composed numerous poems and as the pontiff of Sodhe Mutt, renovated the temple complex at Udupi and established the Paryaya system of worship. He is also credited with enriching the Kannada literature of the time by translating Madhvacharya's works to Kannada, giving impetus and contributing to the Haridasa movement. He has influenced both Carnatic and Hindustani music through his compositions. His compositions are mainly in Kannada and Sanskrit. His mudra is 'Hayavadana'. His works are characterised by their poetic flourishes, incisive wit and humour. Vadirajaru was born as Bhuvaraha in Huvinakere, a village in the Kundapura taluk. He was ordained as a monk at the age of 8 and placed into the care of Vidyanidhi Tirtharu and later Vagisha Tirtharu , who oversaw his education. Works of contemporary Haridasas and oral traditions point to Vadirajaru being a student of Vyasatirtharu along with Vijayendra Tirtharu though he never acknowledged Vyasatirtha as his mentor in his works. He eventually assumed the pontifical seat of the mutt at Sodhe, succeeding Vagisha Tirtha. Vadiraja seems to have wielded some influence in the court of the Nayakas of Keladi as Vadiraja's successor, Vedavedya Tirtha, received grants of villages from Keladi Venkatappa Nayak. In 1512, Vadiraja began his grand tour of the pilgrimages in India lasting for two decades, the details of which he recorded in his travelogue entitled Tirtha Prabanda. A number of miracles have been ascribed to him during these journeys such as resurrection of the dead and exorcism of demons. Traditional accounts also speak of his expertise in occult and especially of an incident involving the taming of a forest spirit called Annappa or Bhutaraja. Vadiraja is known to have debated the Jain scholars at Moodabidri and Karkala and converted a sect of Brahmins of the goldsmith community to the Dvaita fold.They are identified as Daivajnya Brahmins. It was around the same time that he restructured the organisation of the temple at Udupi, established the Ashta Mathas around the temple and renovated the temple itself. The ecclesiastical and liturgical reforms initiated by him survive to this day. A life of 120 years is traditionally ascribed to him. Though the veracity of this claim may be questioned, Sharma notes "there is no doubt he (Vadiraja) enjoyed a long life presiding over the mutt at Sodhe, established by him, for a number of years". His mortal remains (Brindavana) are enshrined at Sodhe.