Sri Vidyadhiraja Tirtharu

Shri Vidyadhiraja Teertha, originally named Krishna Bhat before receiving Sanyasa from Shri JayaTeertha, was the immediate disciple and successor to the pontifical throne of the Vedanta Samrajya of the Uttaradi Matha. A dedicated propagator of Dvaita Vedanta, he toured extensively across India. A famous miracle marks his journey: while resting by the Bhima River on his way to Kashi, Goddess Ganga appeared in his dream, promising to manifest in the Bhima River so he wouldn't have to travel further. The next day, the Goddess appeared, and the saint performed rituals and took a holy dip alongside his disciples. His tenure also marked the first historical bifurcation of the Madhva Matha. During an initial bout of illness, he ordained his disciple Shri Rajendra Teertha to succeed him, but upon recovering, the formal installation was deferred, and Shri Rajendra Teertha left to travel and preach. When Shri Vidyadhiraja Teertha fell critically ill again, Shri Rajendra Teertha could not be located in time. To prevent the throne from falling vacant, he ordained another disciple, Shri Kavindra Teertha, as his successor, passing on the entire undivided Samsthana, its properties, and the sacred idols originally given to Shri Padmanabha Teertha by Shri Madhwacharya. Consequently, the Uttaradi Matha continued as the uninterrupted Moola Samsthana under Shri Kavindra Teertha.