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Navabrindavana - Hampi

Hampi is associated with the rise and fall of the Vijayanagar Empire but the town of Anegundi on the opposite bank of the Tungabhadra has seen not just the rise and fall of dynasties, but even the evolution of mankind! In scientifically documented terms, Anegundi is said to have the oldest plateaus on the planet, estimated to be about 3000 million years old.

In terms of Indian mythology, this is Home to our ancestors from the Neolithic Era (Stone Age), Anegundi has their imprints in the form of cave paintings; which lie among the rocks, which mythology tells us were homes of the vanaras - the monkey-men - who aided Lord Rama on his quest for his wife. Anegundi is a blend of history and mythology.


This is among the few places where nine saints who headed a peetham have their tombs, and its importance lies in the fact that these saints are believed to have attained 'Jeeva Samadhi', that is, they are believed to be alive even today under their tombs.

The oldest tomb is that of Padmanabha Tirtha, the prime disciple of Madhvacharya, who attained Samadhi in the year 1324AD,(the newest) Sri Sudheendhra Tirtha, the guru of Sri Raghavendra, who attained Samadhi in 1623. The most famous saint entombed here is Sri Vyasaraja (1539) - the Raja Guru (literally, the king's preceptor) of Krishnadevaraya.

The nine saits who attained jeeva samadhi are:

  • Padmanabha Theertha

  • Kavindra Theertha

  • Vageesha Theertha

  • Vyasaraja Theertha

  • Raghuvarya Theertha

  • Sudheendra Theertha

  • Srinivasa Theertha

  • Srirama Theertha

  • Govinda Wadeyar

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