LORD SHRI KRISHNA
A most beautiful idol of Shri Krishna, acknowledged as the 8th Avatar of Lord Shri Maha Vishnu, emerged from a gopichandana block at the sea-shore near Udupi. Acharya Madhwaru brought the idol of Shri Krishna to Udupi and then, consecrated the idol in the matha on the bank of Madhwa Sarovara. As per sage Shri Madhwacharya’s instruction, the idol is West facing.
Acharya Madhwa appointed 8 bala sanyasi (monastics) to worship Lord Shri Krishna, taking turns of one every two years. So, ashta mutts (eight pontifical institutions) came into existance. These are the Kaniyur, Sode, Puttige, Admar, Pejawar, Palimar, Krishnapura and Shirur Mutts. Every two years, the Paryaya festival marks the event when the temple management is turned over to the next Matha, which, like every other Matha, is headed by a Swami, who will be in charge of the temple during his Paryaya. The Paryaya festival takes place on even numbered years, such as 2012, 2012 and 2014. Prominent religious festivals are grandly celebrated by the Udupi Paryaya mathas each year, among them, Madhva Navami, Hanuman Jayanthi, Makara Sankranthi, Ratha Sapthami, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Navarathi Mahotsava, Madhva Jayanti (Vijaya Dashami), Naraka Chathurdashi, Deepavali, Geetha Jayanthi etc. The temple opens by 5.30 in the morning. The unique feature of the temple is that the deity is worshipped through the silver-plated window with nine perforations (Navagraha khindi).
PPISR is closely associated with the Admar Mutt, whose main center is in the village of Admaru, near Udupi.
SHRI POORNAPRAJNA
Shri Poornaprajna is the Mount-Everest of wisdom that the world has seen. Anandateertha, Madhva, Dashapramati, Purnabodha, Sarvajna etc., are his various other names. He is a great personality who, by his matchless wisdom, brought unprecedented spiritual revolution in the world of philosophy. His unparalleled greatness is that he, the glorious one of marvelous personality, opened the vistas of the scriptural world by contributing incomparable works to mankind.
Madhvacharya was born on the west coast of Karnataka state in 13th-century India.As a teenager, he became a Sanyasi (monk) joining Brahma-sampradaya guru Achyutapreksha, of the Ekadandi order. Madhva studied the classics of Hindu philosophy, particularly the Principal Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras (Prasthanatrayi). He commented on these, and is credited with thirty seven works in Sanskrit. His writing style was of extreme brevity and condensed expression. His greatest work is considered to be the Anuvyakhyana, a philosophical supplement to his bhasya on the Brahma Sutras composed with a poetic structure. In some of his works, he proclaimed himself to be an avatar of Vayu, the son of god Vishnu.
The motto of the PPISR, transliterated from Devanagri script as “Vidyayaa Vindate Amritam”, may be translated as “Immortality through Knowledge”.
FOUNDER: HIS HOLINESS SHREE VIBUDHESHA THEERTHA SWAMIJI
His Holiness Shree Vibudhesha Theertha Swamiji, the 29th Swamiji in the disciplic succession of the Admar Mutt, was the Founder and first President of our institute, as well as the umbrella organizations of Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Council (AMEC) and Foundation (AMEF), under whose aegis it functions. His Holiness Shree Vibudhesha Theertha Swamiji, who attained the Lotus Feet of Lord Sri Krishna on 15th of September 2009, is well known, inspite of his mainly religio-spiritual and philosophical background as Chief Pontiff of the Admar Mutt, Udupi, for his unique contributions to the fields of education and research.
Apart from being a great saint and a spiritual leader, the Swamiji had a passion for modern English education with special emphasis on science and scientific research. He firmly believed that it is only through education and modern science that Bharath can re-establish itself as the leader in the community of nations of the world. To achieve this goal, his vision was to start a chain of primary and secondary schools all over India to instill the spirit of rational scientific enquiry at a young age among the children. His dream was to create such conditions for science education and scientific research in Bharath, so that the talented children from the country are not compelled to go to the western countries.
With hardly any financial resources, but with a big dream and iron determination, the Swamiji worked day and night, travelled throughout the length and breadth of India and abroad asking philanthropists to support his mission.
Having established 32 Poornaprajna Educational Institutions of eminence in different parts of the country for imparting secular as well as spiritual education of incomparable quality, HH Swamiji founded Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, to serve as the crest jewel among these well-known institutions.
FORMER CHAIRMAN: HIS HOLINESS SHREE vISHWAPRIYA THEERTHA SWAMIJI
Swamiji is the ex-President, Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Council & Chairman, Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Foundation, which governs the Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, Bangalore. His Holiness Shree Vishwapriya Theertha Swamiji, as a Great Visionary and a renowned scholar in philosophical doctrines, extended his generous support to PPISR following the Founder Swamiji’s attainment of the Lotus Feet of Lord Shri Krishna. Fluent in Sanskrit and Kannada, His Holiness is a charming orator who is known to hold audience spell-bound with his intellectual discourses in which religio-spiritual themes are illustrated in a simple manner using analogies drawn from everyday situations. The Visionary Savant His Holiness Shree Vishwapriya Theertha Swamiji is the source of inspiration for all activities in the institute, which have been diligently followed through by the present Chairman.
CHAIRMAN: HIS HOLINESS SHREE EESHAPRIYA THEERTHA SWAMIJI
Swamiji is the President, Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Council & Chairman, Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Foundation, which governs the Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, Bangalore. His Holiness Shree Eeshapriya Theertha Swamiji, who has an extensive technological as well as Shastraic background, has dextrously assumed the role of a Great Visionary, and a profound scholar in both technical and philosophical doctrines. Like his illustrious predecessors, he has kindly extended his generous support to PPISR. His Holiness is a charming orator in Kannada and English, who frequently brings to bear his technological background in his spiritual discourses. The Visionary Savant His Holiness Shree Eeshapriya Theertha Swamiji, like the predecessor Swamijis, continues to provide inspiration for all activities in the institute.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTE
The Poornaprajna Group of Institutes are well-known for providing quality education at schools and colleges throughout the country, underlining its commitment to excellence in academics. The focus of the PPISR, as the crest jewel of this group is to do outstanding original research and nurturing young talented minds and to become a source of encouragement to more non-government funded research institutions that dedicate themselves to promote research in fundamental and applied sciences.
ESTABLISHMENT PHASE
- 1993: Registration of Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Foundation (AMEF) as the governing body of PPISR.
- 1998: Foundation stone laid by the then prime minister Sri A. B. Vajpayee.
- 2003: Inauguration by Sri L. K. Advani, the then Deputy Prime Minister of India.
ACADEMIC PHASE
- 1997–2000: Hiring of postdocs, the first phase.
- 2002–2003: Prof. Rama Rao is director, under whom the recognition by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Govt. of India, and by Manipal Academy of Higher Education for PhD program, were obtained.
- 2003–2004: Prof. Gadadhar Mishra, ISI, Bangalore, takes over as Hon. Director, completing the first phase of the institute’s establishment.
- 2004–2006: Prof. Ananthakrishna, MRC, IISc takes over as Hon. Director, hiring the first faculty scientists.
- 2008–2010: Prof. N. D. Haridass, Matscience, Chennai and CHEP, IISc, Bangalore, takes over as Hon. Director, developing a full-fledged city campus and conducting national and international symposia. The first Assistant Professorships awarded, to the Institute’s faculty fellows.
- 2010: Prof. A. B. Halgeri assumes Directorship, completing the task of establishing the main campus at Bidlur as a center for experimental and theoretical research. The first phase of hiring doctoral students, begins. The Divisions of Materials Sciences and Biological Sciences are established, by hiring new scientists and acquiring several new equipment.