Sripad Vidyadhiraja (Vidyanidhi) Tirtha
And His Relationship With Sripad Rajendra Tirtha.
As we just stated, Vidyadiraja Tirtha was the immediate disciple of Jaya Tirtha. Being of seniority in his years, as well as learning and devotional understandings, Rajendra Tirtha also became the successor on the Pitha (1388-1412. AD.).
 "After the sixteenth 'acarya' (Vidyadhiraja Tirtha), there was another disciplic succession, including Rajendra Tirtha, 1254; Vijayadhvaja; Purusottama; Subrahmanya; Vyasa Raya, 1470-1520. The nineteenth 'acarya', Ramacandra Tirtha, had another disciplic succession, including Vibudhendra, 1218.; Jitamitra, .......etc. To date, in the Udupi monastery there are another fourteen Madhwa-tirtha sannyasis. As stated, Udupi is situated in South Kanada, about thirty-six miles north of Mangalore. It is situated beside the sea. This information is available from the South Kanada-Manual and the Bombay Gazette."(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila. 9:245. purport.) As these dates are all Sakabja Era 1254 is corresponding to 1333 A.D. thus making him 55 years old when he took office.
 Sripad Rajendra Tirtha was Vidyanidhi's (Vidyadhiraj's) first disciple, and their relationship was always very close. Rajendra Tirtha's seniority is an established fact(S.K. edn. 1931. page 32., and Purnabodhakathakalataru, (vii) and Guru-acarya.; B.N.K. Sharma. 1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 452.), getting his initiation, ordination ('ashramajyaishthya') in the place known as Hevilambi. There is one story which tells of how the 'guru parampara' divided at that time.
 It is said that Sripad Vidyadhiraja Tirtha was extremely sick at the time, and so he sent word to his dear disciple Rajendra Tirtha to come immediately, but he was not in the immediate area at the time and so did not get the message for quite some time. The 'Guru', feeling his life passing, and his departure immenent, ordained another disciple who happened to be there at the time to at least guarantee that he would have a successor. That devotees' name was Kavindra Tirtha. There is some controversy as to why things happened as they did. B.N.K. Sharma suggests that, "It is not possible to ascertain now what precisely was the reason for the second ordination. The reason of the disciple's absence during the 'Guru's' illness given for the bifurcation is not convincing. An interim arrangement could well have been made, even as reported during the second bifurcation, similarly under Ramachandra Tirtha. The true reason was probably to satisfy the growing regional needs and expectations. The branches resulting therefrom have come to stay and have contributed to the development and glory of 'Dvaita' literature and philosophy."(B.N.K. Sharma. 1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 452.)

In this way some say that Vijayadhiraja Tirtha called Kavindra due to a need for the preaching to spread due to his talents in that direction, but one cannot guess the reasons why - a pure Vaisnava acts. We do know, that it is only to satisfy the Lord, that much we can ascertain. The line coming from Rajendra Tirtha is now represented by Sripad Vyasa Tirtha (Vyasaraya Mutt) and Sosale Mutt, and those lines still continue.
 The other, or second line (that from Kavindra Tirtha) continued on to Vagisa Tirtha and Ramacandra Tirtha, but at the time of Ramacandra there was some heavy disagreements at the time of his passing that apparently nearly stopped the line at that time. This is the second bifurcation that B.N.K. Sharma refers to which inevitably it caused a big spilt and now those lines come down via his two disciples, Vibudhendra Tirtha of Raghavendra Swami Mutt and Vidyanidhi Tirtha of Uttaradi Mutt.
 It is said that Vibudhendra Tirtha (1400-1470.) who took the pontiffical seat in the Raghavendra Swami Mutt between (1435-1470.), was also a disciple of Sripad Rajendra Tirtha, and the great Sripadaraj Tirtha was Vibudhendra Tirtha's student(B.N.K. Sharma.1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 210.).

It is suggested that Sripad Rajendra Tirtha in fact had many disciples in North India where he preached, such as Visnudasacarya. This Visnudasacarya it appears made quite an impression in North India with his great dialectical works, Vadaratnavali, Khandana-Khandana and Vivarana Vidambana, nearly a hundred years before Vyasa Tirtha(B.N.K. Sharma. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 540.); and the redoubtable Vibhudendra Tirtha is believed to have gained fresh following to Madhwa 'siddhanta' in upper Karnataka and elsewhere by his dialectical power and active propaganda(B.N.K. Sharma. 1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 540.).
 It is important to point out that this Visnudasacarya (1390-1440.) is different from Visnu Puri who was the disciple of Rajendra Tirtha's disciple Jayadharma Tirtha (Vijayadhwaj Tirtha), and who received glorification for compiling a commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam that in his olde age he presented to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called Bhakti Ratnavali.

Sripad Vidyadhiraja Tirtha passed away at Ergola near Malked. The old town of Ergola now lies in ruins and this is believed to be where the 'samadhi' tombs of both Sriyuts Vidyadhiraja and Rajendra Tirtha are.
 "However during my visit to the place which is some four miles from Nalvar (on the Wadi-Raichur section) on 28th February 1975., I found that the old town of Ergola was situated within the old fort now in ruins. The tombs of Vidyadhiraja (Rajendra and some others) may have been in the old town now in ruins."(B.N.K. Sharma. 1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 452.)