Parakala Matha

Bramhatantra Swatantra Parakala Matha, commonly known as Parakala Matha, is a Vaishnava monastery founded during the Hoysala Empire in 1268 at Mysore, Karnataka, primarily worshipping Vishnu and Lakshmi as Hayagriva and Vargeshi. It is the first mediaeval era monastery of the Vadakalai denomination within Vaishnavism in the Hindu society and is the gurupeeta, the seat of the royal guru, of the maharajas of Mysore.

Originally founded in Mysore where its headquarters has been based, the matha has branches across southern India and as well as one abroad.

Etymology
Parakala is a Sanskrit adjective meaning "beyond time". It is an epithet of Vishnu's incarnation as Narasimha, and by derivation means "he who is beyond time". Alvar Tirumangai, an influential figure in the monastery's history, earned parakala as an honorary style for his scholarship, after whom the monastic came to be known as Parakala Matha.

History
Parakala Matha was first founded by Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeeyar, a disciple of Swami Vedanta Desika, during the reign of the Hoysala emperor Narasimha III. It is among the monasteries that view Vedanta Desika as the torchbearer of Āchārya Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita teachings, the others being Ahobila Matha at Ahobilam, Andavan Ashramam at Srirangam, and Andavan Ashramam at Poundarikapuram. The Hayagriva idol worshipped at the hermitage is said to have been handed down from Vedanta Desika himself.



Āchārya tradition
There have been a total of thirty-six āchāryas (pontiffs or principal seers) so far.

The head of the matha is also the hereditary raja guru of the Mysore Royal Family. The matha has thus had connections with the monarchs of Mysore Kingdom since 1399, one of the reasons for the proximity of Jaganmohana Palace and Mysore Palace to it. Most of the royal ceremonies are officiated by seers of the hermitage.