Sri Vidyatirtha, the 51st Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha is also revered as Sri Vidyasankara, in the Guruparampara records of the Tungabhadra (Kudali) Sringeri and other Advaita mathas of Karnataka . Sri Vidyatirtha’s greatness is undeniable, especially if we consider that the Vijayanagara kingdom was influenced by his glance from Bukka. Born in Bilvaranya, Sri Vidyatirtha was the son of Sarangapani and lived from 1296 to 1384. He spent seventy-three years in Kanchi, practiced penance for fifteen years near the Himalayas. He also revitalized the Sankarite institutions of Karnataka.

In the book “Founders of Vijayanagara,” published by the Mythic Society in Bangalore in 1938, the distinguished historian of Mysore State, S.Srikantayya, expresses his perspectives regarding the association between Sri Vidyatirtha (also known as Sri Vidyasankara) and the Vijayanagara empire.