The Institutional Center
Maṭha (Sanskrit; Tamil: maṭam) is a monastic or semi-monastic establishment attached to a great Ācārya's lineage. It serves as the residential and teaching center where disciples live and study, where daily worship of the lineage deity is conducted, and where the Ācārya resides and gives kālakṣepam.
Major Śrī Vaiṣṇava Maṭhas
The most important maṭhas include:
- Brahmatantra Svatantra Parakāla Maṭha, a Vedānta Deśika-lineage institution whose present headquarters is at Mysuru; it is not a Teṅkalai headquarters at Śrīraṅgam
- Uttamūr Maṭham (Vaḍakalai Ācārya lineage)
- Maṭhas at Kāñcīpuram, Āzhvārtirunagari, and Tirumalai associated with specific Ācārya lineages
The Jīyar
The head of a Śrī Vaiṣṇava maṭha is typically a jīyar (honorific for a sannyāsi Ācārya). The Periya Jīyar (Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ's lineage) at Śrī Raṅgam is the most prominent. The jīyar conducts kālakṣepam, performs initiations (pañca-saṃskāra), and leads community worship.