Coimbatore: Saint Vyasaraja (1447-1539) — popularly known as Chandrikacharya and Pratyarthi Gajakesari — was one of the three spiritual lights of Dwaita school of philosophy; the other two being Madhwacharya and Jayathirtha. Vyasaraja brought the Haridasa cult into the limelight and administered the Tirumala temple for 12 years from 1486 to 1498. Later he became the Rajaguru or mentor for Sri Krishnadeva Raya, the great Vijayanagar king. The Vyasogacharita by Somanatha talks about Vyasaraja’s travels to the various parts of the Vijayanagar Empire.
Vyasaraja travelled all over South India and spent a lot of time in Coimbatore region. He entered the Kongu country through the Gajjalahatti pass and spent a lot of time in Sathyamangalam, Sevoor, Coimbatore, Dharapuram and a number of other important towns.
Historians date this travel to 1511 and Vyasaraja even performed his Chaturmasya Vratam here. A large retinue of soldiers, torchbearers, palanquin bearers, students, devotees and the entourages of the local rulers followed him in his travels. Vyasaraja led a very active life. During the Chaturmasya and times of travel, he wrote his most famous works including Nyayamrutha , Chandrika and Tarka Tandava .
The saint carried a number of scriptures written on palm manuscripts on the backs of large bulls. He trained several locals during the course of his travelsand disliked proselytisation for the sake of numbers. European travellers Domingo Paes and Nuniz have written about the importance of Vyasaraja in Hampi and rulers like Lodi of Delhi and Ismail Adil Shah of Bijapur honoured him.
Vyasaraja used much of the wealth showered on him during the Ratnabhisheka by Krishnadevaraya during the course of his travels. Coimbatore-based scholars like the late Prof. B.N.K. Sharma and the renowned advocate T.S. Raghavendran have researched on the life and times of Vyasaraja
The importance of Coimbatore in the historic times can be understood through the travels of Saint Vyasaraja during the heyday of the Vijayanagar Empire.
