The Sringeri Sharada Peetham at Sringeri in Karnataka runs a chain of institutions to teach the Vedas and Sanskrit. Sri Sadvidya Sanjeevini Samskrutha Mahapatashala at Sringeri was established for the purpose in 1895. The institution is rated as one of the top Vedic Schools in the country.
Students are admitted into the Maha Patashala at the age of eight after their Upanayana (initiation ceremony). They undergo rigorous training in mula pata (basic study of Vedas), pada pata, karma pata and ghana pata. It takes five years to complete the Mula pata, two years to do the Pada Pata and another two years to do the Krama Pata. The Ghana Pata, the highest qualification, has more academic value that a Ph.D. It takes at least 11 years to complete the Ghana pata.
Every year more than 40 students from different parts of the country and places such as Nepal get admitted into the Maha Patashala. Education, food and accommodation are free. The Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Shastras, Tharka, Vyakhyana and Sanskrit literature are taught. The training is in the gurukula tradition. At any given time, the institution has more than 90 students doing courses at different levels. The Mahapatashala has a four year specialized course in Sanskrit literature.
Sringeri Sharada Peetham runs Veda Patasalas in Bangalore, Kalady, Satara, Varanasi, Prayag, Maheshwar near indore, Siddapura, Srirangam, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli among other places. The peetham also monitors and extends financial support to Veda Patashalas in Palakkad, Rajapalayam, Madipadu and other places.
Short term courses in the Vedas are conducted for adults in various branches of the Peetham in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan, Hyderabad and Vijayawada.
The Veda Patshalas in Sringeri and Kalady in Kerala offer studies in Vedanta, Nyaya and Vyakarna.
The Peetham established Surasaraswathi Sabha to promote Sanskrit among the general public. The Sabha offers five courses in Sanskrit – from elementary lessons to those for acquiring writing skills and understanding literature. It conducts examinations twice a year. More than 300,000 people have made use of the courses and passed the examinations. To promote home based study of Sanskrit, the Sabha has introduced an online learning course with online examinations. The Sabha runs centers in different parts of the country and has branches in the US and Australia.