It is the landmark temple of Sringeri.  As a humble offering to their Gurus Sri Bharathi Theertha and Sri Vidyaranya (the 11th and the 12th Jagadgurus), the famous emperor brothers Harihara and Bukkaraya of the Vijayanagara empire built this temple over the Samadhi cave of the tenth Jagadguru of Sri Sharada Peetam, Sri Vidyashankara Theertha.  The temple reflects the combination of the Dravida and Hoysala architectural styles.  The chief attraction of the temple is the presence of 12 pillars each representing a zodiac sign.  They are installed inside the Maha Mandapa of the temple in such a way that the first ray of the Sun everyday will fall exactly on the pillar that represents the zodiac for the day.  An architectural marvel, this temple houses the shrines of Sri Vidyashankara, Sri Vidya Ganapathy,  Sri Durgamba and Sri Shaneeswara.