Jayatheertha Matha Malkheda, Kalburgi

An abode of Sri Jayatheertha is at Malkheda. This shrine is dedicated to the Dvaita philosopher, Sri Jayatheertha, also known as Sri Theekaraayaru. Founder of Sri Uttaradi Math and teacher of the Dvaita philosophy, he not only teaches the principles but also criticises the other philosophical system. It is believed that Sri Jayatheertha was born as a bull that carried the philosophical works of Sri Madhwacharya; when his other disciples wanted to write commentaries of the work, Sri Madhwacharya told them that none other than the bull has this privilege.

The bull gets cursed by the disciples—it would die of a snake bite. Upon knowing this, Sri Madhwacharya says that the snake would die and not the bull. Jayatheertha, initially known as Dhondupant, gets introduced to Sanyasa by Akshobhya Tirtha and his forced marital life ends on day one when he transforms into a snake leaving the bride scared. Every year aradhana of this great philosopher is celebrated here and this place attracts a lot of devotees.