Lakshmi Narasimha ... the idol Sage Agastya is said to have worshipped.
HARIHARAPURA, A small village and agraharam on the banks of the Tunga, 19 km from Sringeri on NH13, between Shimoga and Mangalore, is home of Sri Adisankaracharya Sharada Lakshmi Narasimha Peetam and Sri Math with a history of over 1,000 years.
Legend has it that Sri Adisankara prayed to Goddess Saraswati to follow him and grace the place, where he would assume her power to be eternally radiant. Mother Sharada granted the request on one condition. She would follow him but he should not look behind. If he did she would stay there forever. The Acharya agreed and started walking down from Kashmir to the South all the while listening to the tinkle of the Mother's anklets. When he entered Hariharapura he did not hear the sound and turned back to see the Mother standing there. Sankara offered his prayers and to mark the holy spot consecrated the Sri Chakra and placed the Mother's image on it. Even today, one can see a rare statue of Sharadamba in standing posture.
Sharadamba ... Goddess who followed Adi Sankara to Hariharapura.
The shrine of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha is ancient. The idol is said to have been worshipped by sage Agasthya and later by his disciple Sri Govinda Yogi, and by Sri Krishna Yogi, first pontiff of the Sri Math, Hariharapura. The Math runs a Vedapatasala and the present head, Sri Sachidananda Saraswathi following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Sri Abhinava Ramananda Saraswati, initiates many religious and community welfare activities, including running schools and colleges. It is considered sacred and auspicious to perform homams and yagnas here. According to puranas, Daksha Prajapati performed a sacred yagna at the place.
A master plan has been drawn to raise a complex of shrines (for Sri Sharada, Sri Lakshmi Narsimha and Lord Siva), a Veda Patasala, a homa mantap, gurusthal, the main temple building, etc. at a cost of Rs. 320 lakhs. The Math welcomes contributions from devotees and philanthropists. Cheques and drafts drawn in favour of Sree Math, Hariharapura, payable at Hariharapura or Mangalore, may be mailed to The Administrator, Sri Math, Hariharapura, 577 120, Chikmagalur district, Karnataka State. The Karnataka Bank will receive payment through any of its branches at par. The payment may be made in the name of Sri Math, SB. A/C. 2334, Hosakoppa Branch-577 126. The devotees may write their name, address, pincode, e-mail id at the back of the counterfoil and mail it to the Sri Math to receive prasada and acknowledgement.
Online or direct cheque payments can be made in the name of Sri Math, Hariharapura, through ICICI Bank (A/C.No.001401014510) and HDFC Bank (A/C. No. 0941000035752). For more details, one may visit www.hariharapura.org.
