Seat - Sringeri, Chickmagalur district, Karnataka - Tunga river bank.
Agama + paddhati - Smarta · Sankara bhashya · Bodhayana paddhati (for South Indian Smartha households).
Scope - Original Dakshinamnaya peetham of Adi Sankara. Authority on Advaita Vedanta + the panchayatana puja system. Issues annual panchanga, ordains sannyasis, supervises hundreds of affiliated temples.
How to recognise - Sharada Devi as the main murti; the Jagadguru title; Sringeri-mudra (the official seal); Bodhayana-Smartha paddhati at all affiliated temples.
Seat - Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
Agama + paddhati - Smarta · Sankara bhashya · Bodhayana paddhati. Strong Sri Vidya / Lalita Tripurasundari emphasis.
Scope - Pan-Hindu sphere of influence under H.H. Chandrasekharendra Saraswati (Mahaperiyava, 1894-1994) + successors. Affiliated temples across Tamil Nadu + Andhra.
How to recognise - Goddess Kamakshi as the main devata; Periyava ashirvada; specific Lalita Sahasranama parayana style.
Seat - Ahobilam, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh + multiple mathas across Tamil Nadu + Karnataka.
Agama + paddhati - Sri Vaishnava (Vatakalai sub-sampradaya) · Pancharatra agama · Iyengar paddhati.
Scope - One of the principal Sri Vaishnava mathas. Maintains the Nava-Narasimha kshetra at Ahobilam, oversees archana procedures at dozens of Sri Vaishnava temples in Andhra + Tamil Nadu.
How to recognise - Narasimha as principal devata; Vatakalai tiruman (U-shape with central red line); Sanskrit-Tamil mixed liturgy with strong Pasuram emphasis.
Seat - Pejawar, Udupi district, Karnataka. One of the Ashta Mathas of Udupi.
Agama + paddhati - Madhva (Dvaita) Vaishnava · Bhagavata + Pancharatra · Madhwa paddhati.
Scope - Part of the 8-matha rotation (Paryaya) for the Krishna temple at Udupi. H.H. Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji (1931-2019) was a widely-recognised modern leader of the lineage.
How to recognise - Krishna as principal devata; Madhva-mudra (gada / chakra / shankha branded into select disciples); Sanskrit-only liturgy; strict ekadashi + chaturmasya observance.
Seat - Udupi, Karnataka. The 8: Pejawar, Palimar, Adamar, Puttige, Sode, Kaniyur, Shirur, Krishnapura.
Agama + paddhati - Madhva (Dvaita) · Bhagavata + Pancharatra · Madhwa paddhati. Each matha has its own swamiji + diksha.
Scope - Two-year Paryaya rotation - only one matha holds the right to perform Krishna puja at the main Udupi temple at any time. The transition (Paryaya) ceremony is a major public event every 2 years.
How to recognise - Krishna Mukhya-prana (Udupi Krishna); matha-specific colour codes and seal; Madhva diksha + chakra-mudra.
Seat - Multiple - Kanchipuram, Tirupati, Sriperumbudur, Melkote.
Agama + paddhati - Sri Vaishnava · Pancharatra agama · Iyengar paddhati (Vatakalai variant).
Scope - One of the two main sub-paramparas within Sri Vaishnavism, distinguished from Tenkalai by tiruman shape, theological emphasis on prapatti (surrender requires explicit acts), and liturgical sequences.
How to recognise - Vatakalai tiruman - U-shape with central red SriChurnam line. More Sanskrit emphasis. Vedanta Desika's stotras (Daya Shatakam, Hayagriva Stotram, etc.) in daily seva.
Seat - Srirangam (Tamil Nadu), Tirumala (under various trustees), Alwar Thirunagari.
Agama + paddhati - Sri Vaishnava · Pancharatra agama · Iyengar paddhati (Tenkalai variant).
Scope - The other principal Sri Vaishnava sub-parampara. Theological emphasis on the marjala-nyaya (kitten-and-mother) model of prapatti - surrender is entirely from the Lord's side.
How to recognise - Tenkalai tiruman - Y-shape extending down to the nose bridge. Stronger emphasis on Tamil Divya Prabandham over Sanskrit; daily Tiruvaymozhi parayana; Periya Tirumozhi recitation order.
Seat - Udupi (main) + Mantralayam (Sri Raghavendra Swami, 1595-1671) + many secondary mathas.
Agama + paddhati - Dvaita Vedanta · Bhagavata + Pancharatra · Madhwa paddhati.
Scope - Beyond the 8 Udupi mathas, includes the Uttaradi Math, Vyasaraja Math, and many household lineages. Strong harikatha + dasa-sahitya tradition (Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa).
How to recognise - Tulasi maala always worn; gopichandana namam; daily ekadashi + dwadashi observance; Bhagavata + Brahma Sutra bhashya recitation; Vayu-stuti / Sumadhwa Vijaya parayana.
Seat - Five original peethas - Kashi, Ujjain, Kedar, Shrishaila, Balehonnur. Lingayats: Anubhava Mantapa, Kalyana.
Agama + paddhati - Veerashaiva / Lingayat · ishtalinga puja paddhati. Anti-temple ritualism (in the Basavanna stream); but Panchacharya peethas maintain full temple worship.
Scope - All Veerashaiva Mathas + most Lingayat households in Karnataka, parts of Andhra + Maharashtra. The ishtalinga (personal linga worn on the body) is the daily focus of worship.
How to recognise - Vibhuti + rudraksha + ishtalinga; Kannada Vachana sahitya in daily seva; Akka Mahadevi / Allama Prabhu stotras; lingayatika rituals distinct from temple-based Shaiva worship.
Smartha - Sankara parampara (general) · स्मार्त शाङ्कर परम्परा
Founder: Adi Sankaracharya (8th century CE). Founded the 4 amnaya peethas - Sringeri (south), Govardhan (east), Sharada (west, Dwarka), Jyotir (north, Joshimath).
Seat - All 4 amnaya peethas + Kanchi (peripheral). All trace authority back to Adi Sankara.
Agama + paddhati - Smarta · panchayatana · Bodhayana paddhati (south) / region-specific paddhatis elsewhere.
Scope - The largest single Hindu sampradaya by household count. Panchayatana puja (5-deity altar) is the philosophical anchor - no exclusive ishta-devata at the temple level.
How to recognise - Panchayatana setup (Surya / Ganesha / Vishnu / Shiva / Devi at one altar); Sankara bhashya recitation; the iconic tridanda + saffron robe of Smarta sannyasis.
Gaudiya Vaishnava parampara · गौडीय वैष्णव परम्परा
Founder: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534), Navadwip, Bengal. Modern transmission via Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) founded ISKCON in 1966.
Seat - Vrindavan, Mayapur, Navadwip + ISKCON temples globally.
Agama + paddhati - Pancharatra agama (specifically the Gopal-Bhatta variant) · Gaudiya paddhati (informed by the Goswami compositions of Vrindavan).
Scope - Krishna-bhakti centred. Mahamantra japa (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare). Strong sankirtan + temple deity-seva culture.
How to recognise - Tilak (Vaishnava U-shape with leaf-shaped tip); Tulasi maala; deity-seva with chandan + tulasi; Jagannath festival emphasis; ISKCON gurukula tradition.
Why parampara is on the temple page - A Pancharatra-Bodhayana temple under the Ahobila Math is a different institutional + spiritual offering than a Pancharatra-Bodhayana temple under the Vanamamalai Math, even though the agama and paddhati are identical. Devotees who care about parampara - especially Madhvas tracking the 8 Udupi mathas, Sri Vaishnavas distinguishing Vatakalai from Tenkalai, and Smartas tied to a specific Sankara peetham - can use the parampara chip on the temple page to filter. See
Agama traditions,
Paddhatis,
Great acharyas, and
Choosing a temple.
