Bhaskararaya was born in Bhaga in Maharashtra. His father was a great scholar who initiated the son in the scholarly traditions even at an early age. He was taken to Benares and put under the tutelaege of a renowned Pundit there. He was initiated into the Sri VidyA mantra (the most prestigious mantra of the Goddess) by Guru Sivadutta Shukla of Surat. Later he toured the Gujarat region and won in debate several scholars of the Madhwa tradition. A disciple king of his invited him to the South and gifted him a whole village on the banks of the Cauvery. Bhaskara-raya made that village his headquarters for the rest of his life. It later came to be known as Bhaskararajapuram. During his stay there and in nearby towns the spiritual and psychic greatness of Bhaskara-raya got revealed through scores of miracles.