It follows the important phases of its existence, as it moved from an embattled existence in the early 20th century tobecome an assured representative of the Sadara Lingayat community (a subcaste of the Lingayats, a dominant caste in Karnataka) in the first decades of the 21 st century. What were the imperatives that compelled the matha to leave behind its pre-occupation with battles over honours to enter the field of education, and later mimic the roles and duties of the state itself?  Does the frame of 'divided sovereignty' adequately illuminate its current place in the political firmament of Karnataka?