The Ashta Mathas are named after the villages in which they were originally located.
Today, the mathas are situated in the temple town of Udupi.
They also administer the Udupi Krishna Temple by way of a formal rotation scheme called Paryaya.
Each pair of mathas is called Dvandva (literally, two or dual).
The four pairs of mathas are: Palimaru and Adamaru; Krishnapura and Puttige; Shirur and Sodhe; and Kaniyooru and Pejavara.