The four cardinal monasteries, Sringeri, Badrinath, Dwarka, and Puri, were established by Adi Shankaracharya.

• Sringeri Sharada Peetham (South): Established in Karnataka.
• Jyotirmath Peetham (North): Located in Uttarakhand.
• Dwarka Sharada Peetham (West): Situated in Gujarat.
• Govardhana Peetham (East): Found in Odisha.

Adi Shankaracharya, an 8th-century Indian philosopher and theologian, is credited with consolidating the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. The monasteries were established to propagate and preserve this philosophy.

For further reading, you can refer to these sources:

• Britannica - Shankara