A Vaishnava-based answer ahead…
It is a common misconception that there are no temples of SriMadhvacharya. In Pajaka Kshetra, where Acharya Madhva incarnated, there is a temple and places where He performed His baala leelas. There is an idol of SriMadhvacharya. In Udupi, if you see near Krishna, there is Garuda, Hanuman, and SriMadhvacharya. Even if you see in Rayara mutts, there is Raghavendra Swamigala Brundavana. Above His Brundavana is Praanadevaru or Mukhyaprana Vayudeva, who is Madhvacharya Himself. So, it’s not like SriMadhvacharya doesn’t have temples. All the Maadhva Mathas worship SriMadhvacharya.
[SriMadhvacharya idol in SriPajaka Kshetra, Karnataka]
[SriMadhvacharya, at Udupi]
The important point is that a Rayara Matha is centred around SriRaghavendra Swamigalu's Brundavana, not because He is considered greater than SriMadhvacharya, but because He entered Brundavana alive and continues to bless devotees from there. A Brundavana is the sacred resting place of a saint, and devotees worship there seeking the saint's grace. SriMadhvacharya, however, does not have a Brundavana. According to the Madhva Sampradaya, He disappeared from the visible world while teaching the Aitareya Upanishad and proceeded to Badarikashrama on Pingala Samvatsara Magha Shuddha Navami, where He continues to serve Bhagavan SriVedavyasa. Therefore, there is no Moola Brundavana of SriMadhvacharya like there is for SriRaghavendra Swamigalu. This is why one finds many Rayara Brundavanas while still finding SriMadhvacharya worshipped in every Madhva Matha and in several temples.
[SriMadhvacharya at Urdhva Badari Kshetra, alongwith Lord Vedavyasa devaru]
SriRaghavendra Swamigalu Himself worshipped SriMadhvacharya. In His Praatah Sankalpa Gadya named grantha, He says,
अस्मद्गुरुणां श्रीमदानन्दतीर्थश्रीमच्चरणानां द्वात्रिंशल्लक्षणोपेतानां…
SriMadhvacharya (SriAnanda Tirtha) possesses the thirty-two auspicious lakṣaṇas (dvātriṃśat-lakṣaṇas). He further says that SriMadhvacharya has the complete siddhi of 7 crore mahamantras. Sri Raghavendra Swamiji’s poorvashrama son, Sri Lakshminarayanacharya, wrote a grantha named SriRaghavendra Vijaya, which contained 16 chapters and was shown to Sri Raghavendra Swamigalu. He read it and said, “Please remove the 6 chapters and make it 10, because in Madhva Vijaya, there are 16 Sargas and keeping the chapter numbers equal to SriMadhva Vijaya, you are making me equal to SriMadhvacharya, which is not the truth. I am a dasa of Madhvacharya.” Therefore, the 6 chapters were removed, and SriRaghavendra Vijaya has 10 chapters only.
Sri Raghavendra Swamigalu is Shankukarna-named devata, who incarnated as Prahlada, Bahlika Maharaja, Vyasatirtha, and Sri Raghavendra Swamy. Due to Brahma’s curse (stated in Narasimha Purana), Shankukarna was born as Prahlada. After Lord Narasimha killed Hiranyakashyapu, He said, “O Prahlada, I am pleased with your devotion. I will grant you Moksha.” Prahlada said, “O Lord! I won’t come to Moksha alone. I will bring the people who are eligible for Moksha too with me to Moksha.” Lord Narasimha, pleased by the compassion of Prahlada, said, ‘So be it’. And thus, Prahlada came as Bahlikaraja, who again incarnated as Vyasatirtha in Kaliyuga, and then He incarnated as SriRaghavendra Swamigalu. This is Shankukarna’s last birth. SriRaghavendra Swamigalu has a lifespan of 700 years. Already 355 years have passed since He entered the Brundavana, alive and is still present in the Brundavana, fulfilling the wishes of the devotees who come in His refuge, without any partition or bias.
For Moksha, the punyas and paapas must be equal. SriRaghavendra Swamiji doesn’t have any paapas at all. But He has a large mountain of punyas with Him, which He is distributing among all the devotees who take refuge in Him. After 700 years, SriRaghavendra Swamigalu will attain Moksha. SriMoolarama listens to Guru Rayaru and never denies anything that is prayed by Guru Rayaru (SriRaghavendra Swamiji). His Mruttika, which contains His tapas shakti itself, is enough to cure diseases and all kinds of doshas and baadhas. Many people today also experience SriRayaru’s blessings. So, the Moola Brundavana is present in Mantralaya dhaama, whereas the other Brundavanas, which are present in different parts of the country, are Mruttika Brundavanas, which have the same impact as the Moola Brundavana of SriRayaru.
[Mruttika Brundavana of SriGuru Rayaru. You can see Hanumanji above the Brundavana. That’s SriMadhvacharya only, who is Praanadeva or Hanuma.]
So, here too SriMadhvacharya is worshipped as SriPraanadevaru or Hanumanji. In Madhva Sampradaya, SriMadhvacharya is considered the third avatara of SriMukhyaprana Vayudeva, after Hanuma and Bheemasena, as evident from the Balittha Sukta of Rigveda itself. Thus, every Rayara Matha reveres SriMadhvacharya as the Jagadguru of the Madhva Sampradaya, while SriRaghavendra Swamigalu Himself always remained His humble disciple and dāsa. SriRaghavendra Swamigalu also had the āveśa of SriMukhyaprāṇa Vāyudeva.
Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!