Sri Vadiraja Tirtha was a supreme devotee of Lord Vishnu, a mystic, poet and Dvaita philosopher. He lived between 1480 and 1600 for a span of 112 years in present day Karnataka it is said. He belonged to the Vaishnava Sampradaya of the Madhva Sect. Followers of the Madhva Sect consider him to be the next only to Swami Ananda Thirtha.
For many years Vadiraja Tirtha was the head of the Sodhe Math. One of the 8 Matths founded by Sri Madhavacharya is the Sodhe Math. After Vadiraja Tirtha started managing administration of the Sodhe Matth, he increased the tenure of its administration to two years instead from the previous 2 months.
Lots of interesting miracles filled the life of Sri Vadiraja Tirtha, being a supreme follower and devotee of Lord Vishnu. The main deity of the temple, Sri Manjunatha (Lord Shiva) was installed by Sri Vadiraja Tirtha at the Dharmashtala. He also organized appointment of the Madhva priests to perform worship on a daily basis at the Shiva temple.
Sri Vadiraja Tirtha is credited with more than 60 works. He authored a number of books on metaphysics and Madhva theology. As a prolific writer he has diverse oeuvre ranging from abstract scholarly works on Dvaita’s metaphysical intricacies, epic poems and short hymns. A number of his polemical barbs and heterodox schools including Jainism gained popularity in the 16th century in the South Canara region. Many songs in Kannada, devoted to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu were also composed by Sri Vadiraja Tirtha. He passed away in Sodhe.
