Thread by @shrikanth_krish

This is one of the oldest religious organizations in the country with a history of nearly 8 centuries!

What's interesting is that the line of succession from the 14th century to the present day is so well documented on the wiki page below

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parakala_…

Some of the dates and names might be sourced from hagiographies

Perhaps it awaits a historian to study the primary sources closely, separate legend from fact, and construct an academic history for these ancient, yet living, institutions of India!

The other reason these institutions deserve greater spotlight is to ensure their continued vibrant existence

Succession at the top is a problem in many of these mathas. Finding talented, willing, and virtuous monks can be hard (and that's a hard combination)

A key problem facing the monastic ideal is finding able individuals willing to renounce the Grihasta Ashrama in letter and in spirit - a challenge in our times

There needs to be a conversation within the communities on whether the monastic ideal needs a re-definition, if that can help the institution's leadership recruitment in the long run

The Parakala Mutt, linked to above, is by no means an exceptional matha.

Even within Sri-Vaishnavism, you have other mutts of comparable antiquity -

The Ahobila Mutt - about 6 centuries old
Andavan Ashramam - about 3 centuries old

And these are very much living institutions

The reason that they have lasted as long is in part due to strong following within their tightly knit sampradayas

The three mathas that I mentioned chiefly concern the Vadakalai population of the Iyengar community - whose population in India is most likely less than a million

Yet, the mathas have remained relevant, as the community in question, though small, is relatively prosperous with high PCI, and also culturally conservative

But how long will this last?

Already the strong endogamy holding the community together has loosened significantly

There is hardly a "Vadakalai" Iyengar family in India that does not have a relative (either close or distant) in the US - most of whom are not showing signs of coming back to India

The point to note is -

These changes are imperceptible - they have happened in the past 20-30 years

And the communities, in my view, are not coming to terms with these changes...

While the sampradaya remains moderately conservative, it has to recruit more aggressively to remain relevant.

Otherwise, the state of affairs won't last in a set up where endogamy is loosening by the day, and you don't have a "captive audience" like you did evne 50 yrs ago

Whenever attempts are made to broach this topic at the dinner table with old timers, there are shrugs, a lack of interest, and ofcourse a great deal of contempt shown at "Macaulayputras" like myself - upstarts who don't live the tradition yet have time to give gyaan

But this arrogance is worrying

The sense of security and cocksure complacency often found in these institutions is merely the lull before the impending storm