Question: According to the Mathamnayas, which matha holds the distinction of being the very first one to have been founded?

Answer: According to all the Mathmnayas, Dwaraka matha is the first of the four mathas to have been founded. Sarada pitha, at Dwaraka is the “first amnaya matha”- “prathamaḥ paścimamnayaḥ śāradāmaṭha ucyate”.

However, Anandagiri, a follower of the Kanchi Tradition, along with his followers Cidvilasa and Kasi Lakshmana Sastri, the author of GVK, both adherents of the Tunga Sringeri matha, assert in their works that Tungabhadra Sringeri was the site where the first matha was founded.

Further research on this subject is warranted due to the disagreement between mathamnaya texts and hagiographies on whether the first founded matha was Dwaraka or Tungabhadra Sringeri.