[Advaita-l] Query regarding the birthplace of Bhaskararaya

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 3:29 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>wrote:


>
> Even I have heard of the above story behind Bhaskararaya taking a Madhva
> bride.  With regard  to Appayya Dikshita it is said that either his mother
> or grandmother was a VishishTAdvaitin and that was one reason why he
> developed a special devotion for VishNu/Vaishnava godhood.  I have not
> heard about his taking a Madhva bride.  The book 'Sri Appayya Dikshita'
> authored by Dr. N.Ramesan, IAS, records the former incident but does not
>  say anything about Dikshita's marriage to a madhva bride.
>
> subrahmanian.v
>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>
In this site:
http://avdevantimes.blogspot.com/2011/06/mahan-sri-appayya-dikshitar.html i
found a reference though not very clear about the lineage:

*Mahan Sri Appayya Dikshitar
*


*Birth & Education
*


The forefathers of Appaya Dikshitar were great Shiva bhaktas and great
scholars well versed in all the shastras and smrithis. Appaya Dikshitar’s
great grandfather was Sri Achan Dikshitar who was a great scholar
patronized by Sri Krishnadeva Raya, the famous King of Vijayanagar Empire.
In order to save a young Vaishnavite girl named Thotamba from being married
to an old man he had to marry her as his second wife. She bore him a son
named Rengarajadhwari. He was a symbol of Unity of a Vaishnavite and
Saivite family. Sri Rengarajadhwari had no issues for a long time. On the
advice of elders and relatives he went to Chidambaram and led a life of
penance and prayer for a period of six years. Pleased with his devotion,
Lord Nataraja, the presiding deity of Chidambaram Temple blessed him with a
son who was named Vinayakasubramanya Sarma but was affectionately called as
“Appa” or “Appaya” which name struck to him later. Appaya was born in
Adayapalam a village near Arani in the North Arcot district in the year
1554 A.D. He was born in the Krishna Paksha of Kanya month of Pramateecha
Varsha under the “Uttara Proushthapada” constellation. He had a brother
named Achan Dikshitar who was none other than the Grandfather of Palamadai
Nilakanta Dikshitar, who was minister to the Madurai King Tirumalai
Nayyakkar and a sister named Gnanambika born after him.