Sankaracarya, the chief exponent of Advaita philosophy, developed the unique monastic orders of the Dasanamis, ten classes of the Vedantic sannyasins. For the purpose of management and organization, he established, as is known from the traditional lores, four Mathas, i.e. monasteries: Sarada Math at Dwarka, Sringeri Math at Karnataka, Govardhana Math at Puri and Joshi Math at Badrinath. Having Sringeri at the lead, they played the key role in Hindu monastricism and religious orders. Apart from these four, some other monateries also came into existence; Kamakotipeeth at Kumbhaghonam is the foremost among them. This Math also has made great contribution in the furtherance of the Advaita philosophy and claims an equal status with the Srinageri Math. The present work contains the epigraphical records, preserved in the Kama-Kotipeeth, which provide authoritative informations about the origin and development of the Math as well as the religious inclinations of the then kings of Tanjore and Vujayanagara. It comprises the edited texts, with English, translation, of the 15th-17th centuries copper-plate inscriptions belonging to the reigns of Vijaya gopaladeva, Vira Narasimhadeva, Krishnadevaraya, etc. and of the Karnata Dynasty of Vijavanagara, Vijaya Raghunatha Tondainar of Pudukkottai, vijayanagara Chokkanatha Nayanayyavaru, etc. the work also contains a firman of one of the late Mughal Emperors of Delhi and records from the contemporary Portuguese accounts, both of which are of great historical importance.
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