Kanchi matha

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The Kanchi matha is a Hindu monastic institution located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is known formally as Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Its head is referred to as a "Shankaracharya", a title that is applied to the heads of many such institutions in India. Its current head is Jayendra Saraswati, whose appointed successor is Vijayendra Saraswati.

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[edit] History

The matha's official history states that it was founded by Adi Shankara of Kaladi, and that Jayendra Saraswati is its 69th head in succession, tracing its history back to the fifth century BCE.[1] A related claim is that Adi Shankara came to Kanchipuram, and that he established the Kanchi matha in a position of supremacy (Sarvagnya Peetha) over the other mathas of the subcontinent, before his death there. Other sources give the place of his death as Kedarnath in the Himalayas.[2]

Other historical accounts state that the matha was established much more recently (probably in the 18th century) in Kumbakonam, as a branch of the Sringeri Matha, and that it later declared itself independent.[3][4] The heads of a matha in Kumbhakonam acquired control of the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram and moved their establishment to that city, between the years 1842 and 1863. This marks the origin of the Kanchi matha.[5]

The Kanchi Matha claims to have been moved from Kanchipuram to Kumbakonam during the 18th century when Hyder Ali invaded the region. It is also claimed that archeological evidence in the form of stone architecture depicting the Shankaracharya and the epigraphy by the side situated in various temples in Kanchipuram indicate the 2500 year age of the Matha. Again, these have not been independently evaluated in the context of the ongoing dispute about the historical origin and traditional status of this institution.

[edit] List of Kamakoti Matha heads

Chronological list of heads of the matha, according to the official account. This list cannot be verified against reliable historical sources from India.

  1. Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada
  2. Sri Suresvaracharya
  3. Sri Sarvajnatman
  4. Sri Sathyabodhendra Saraswati
  5. Sri Jnanandendra Saraswati
  6. Sri Suddhanandendra Saraswati
  7. Sri Aanandaghanendra Saraswati
  8. Sri Kaivalyanandayogendra Saraswati
  9. Sri Krpa Sankarendra Saraswati
  10. Sri Sureswara
  11. Sri Sivananda Chidghanendra Saraswati
  12. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati
  13. Sri Satchidghanendra Saraswati
  14. Sri Vidyaghanendra Saraswati
  15. Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati
  16. Sri Ujjvala Sankarendra Saraswati
  17. Sri Bogusrendra Hushushwati
  18. Sri Sadasivendra Saraswati
  19. Sri Shankarananda Saraswati
  20. Sri Martanda Vidyaghanendra Saraswati
  21. Sri Muka Sankarendra Saraswati
  22. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati II
  23. Sri Bodhendra Saraswati
  24. Sri Satchisukhendra Saraswati
  25. Sri Chitsukhendra Saraswati
  26. Sri Satchidanandaghanendra Saraswati
  27. Sri Prajnaghanendra Saraswati
  28. Sri Chidvilasendra Saraswati
  29. Sri Mahadeve11dra Saraswati I
  30. Sri Purnabhodhendra Saraswati
  31. Sri Bhodhendra Saraswati II
  32. Sri Brahmanandaghanendra Saraswati
  33. Sri Chidanandaghanendra Saraswati
  34. Sri Satchidananda Saraswati
  35. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati III
  36. Sri Chitsukhendra Saraswati
  37. Sri Chitsukhanandendra Saraswati
  38. Sri Vidyaghanendra Saraswati III
  39. Sri Abhinava Sankarendra Saraswati
  40. Sri Satchidvilaasendra Saraswati
  41. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati II
  42. Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati II
  43. Sri Brahmanandaghanendra Saraswati
  44. Sri Anandaghanendra Saraswati
  45. Sri Purnabhodhendra Saraswati II
  46. Sri Paramasivendra Saraswati I
  47. Sri Sandranandabhodhendra Saraswati
  48. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati IV
  49. Sri Advaitanandabodhendra Saraswati
  50. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati III
  51. Sri Chandrachudendra Saraswati I
  52. Sri Kamachandrendra Saraswati 0
  53. Sri Vidyateerthendra Saraswati
  54. Sri Sankaranandendra Saraswati
  55. Sri Purnananda Sadasivendra Saraswati
  56. Sri Vyasachala Mahadevendra Saraswati
  57. Sri Chandrachudhendra Saraswati II
  58. Sri Sarvajna Sadasiva Bhodhendra Saraswati
  59. Sri Paramasivendra Saraswati II
  60. Sri Atma Bodhendra Saraswati
  61. Sri Bhagavannama Bodhendra Saraswati
  62. Sri Advaitatma Prakasendra Saraswati
  63. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati IV
  64. Sri ChandrasekharendraSaraswati V
  65. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati V
  66. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VI
  67. Sri Sudarsana Mahadevendra Saraswati
  68. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VII
  69. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati V
  70. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal [3]
  71. Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal
  72. Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal


[edit] References

  1. ^ kamakoti.org
  2. ^ [1] [2]
  3. ^ The Curious Case of the Missing Monk, The Illustrated Weekly of India, issue dated September 13, 198
  4. ^ Real history of the Kanchi math
  5. ^ Mattison Mines, Vijayalakshmi Gourishankar, Leadership and Individuality in South Asia: The Case of the South Indian Big-Man, Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Nov., 1990), pp. 761-786.

[edit] External links

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