shri shankaracharya and his connection with kanchipuram

7/28/2019 Shri Shankaracharya and His Connection With Kanchipuram

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Preface ! 3CHAPTER 1! 4Sri Sankaras Digvijaya Yatra! 4Sri Sankaras Digvijaya Yatra - Sankaracarya at Varanasi! 8Sri Sankaras Digvijaya - At the Four Dhams! 12CHAPTER 2! 18Kanchi the Southern Mokshapuri! 18CHAPTER 3! 28Sri Shankaracharya at Kanchi! 28CHAPTER 4! 35Sarvajnapitharohana! 35CHAPTER 5! 40Kanci Sankaracaryas Last Resort! 40CHAPTER 6! 46Sankaracarya Sculptures in Kanci! 46APPENDIX -I! 54Some References to Sankaracarya In Relation to Kanci! 54APPENDIX II! 58Extracts from Madras University Historical Series No. 15! 58APPENDIX -III! 60Some References to Sankaracarya Inscriptions! 60


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Preface

Sri Sankara Bhagavatpadacarya stands unique as a subtle metaphysician, adistinctive dialectician, a prolific writer, a commendable commentator, apraiseworthypoet andaworldpreceptor. The AcaryasnameisahouseholdwordinIndia.HisnameandHisfameasaphilosopherhasspreadfarbeyondtheseas.SankaracaryasBhasyas(Commentaries)ontheBrahmasutras,ontheBhagavatGeetaandtheUpanisadasandHisotherimportantworksconstitutethe rich legacy that has been inherited by the people of this land, by thoseprofessingtheVedicDharma. TheinstitutionsfoundedbytheGreatAcarya,indifferentplacesoftheland,standaslivingmonumentstohismemory.

SomesacredspotorotherinmanypartsofourcountryhasbeenrelatedwithsomeeventinSankaras life-story. Kanchipuram,theSouthernMoksapuriofBharatisintimatelyconnectedwithSriSankaracaryainmanyways.Anumberofworks,Voluminousandshort,ofdifferentagesandclimes,indifferentformsand in diverse languages narrating the life-history of Sankara, containinformationaboutSankaracaryasconncectionswiththesacredcityofKanchi.Anattempthasbeenmadeinthisworktopresenttheabovesaidconnectionsasgleanedfromsuchworksandalsotoinclude,inthework,picturesofsome

ofthesculpturesofSankaracharyafoundinthetemplesofKanchiandaround.

OurthanksareduetotheSriMahalakshmiTempleCharities,Mumbaiforthefinancialassistancerenderedforbringingoutthispublication.

A.Kuppuswami


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CHAPTER 1

Sri Sankaras Digvijaya Yatra

Bhaskaracharya the celebrated commentator of the Lalitasahasranama (theone thousandnamesofLalita Devi),in his preface tohiscommentary,poursforthhistributetoSri SankaraBhagavatpada,inaverseinwhichhecitestheexplanationfortheRgVedamantra,Dhenumpahvayamisidhugham,foundinanancientworkbynameVishnjudharmottara. Thisworkisapuranictreatisecontaining the teachingsof a great Yaksha, by name Pushkara,to SriRama.

Bhaskaracharyasverserunsthus:

Inthe above verse it is stated that in the course of the explanation of thecontentsofthethreeVedasbythegreatYaksha,namedPushkara,toSriRamaspeciallynarratedinthe Vishnudharmottara,themeaningoftheRg(mantra)EtamSankaracarya.Ibowuntothatpreceptorofpreceptors,Sankaracarya,withhisfourdisciples.

References to Sankaracarya as an incarnationofSiva, Suryaetc., are seen in

someofthe puranas andsomeother ancientworks. Perhaps theearliestofreferencestoSankara(ortooneofhisillustrioussuccessorsbearinghisname),byforeigners,istobefoundinaninscriptionofakingofCambodiaofthe9thcenturyA.D.ThisinscriptioninCambodiaspeaksofthekinghavingundergonestudy ofthe Sastras underSankara,anall-knowingperson. The verseintheinscriptionisasfollows:-


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(YenadhitaniSastraniBhagavacchankarahvayat;Nissesasurimurdhalimalalidhanghripankajat)

Sri Sankara was born at Kaladi near Tiruchivapperur (modern Tiruchur), in

KeralatoSivaguruandAryamba. Afewyearsafter his birth,Sankaralosthisfather.SankaratooktothestudyoftheVeda,afterhavingbeeninitiatedintobrahmacharya(batcherlorhood). The young boy showed marks of a genius.Onedayhewasbathingintherivernearby.Acrocodilecaughtoneofhisfeetandbegantodraghimdeepintotheriver.Knowingthattheonlywayopenforescapingfrom the danger wasby turning anascetic,Sankaraquickly utteredthe mantras and did in short the necessary things for getting into thesannyasasrama. The crocodile too lefthis foot. The youngascetics strongresolvewasapprovedbyhisagedmother,thoughreluctantly,forshedesired

heronlysonshouldbealiveatanycost.

Ramabhadra Deekshita, an erudite scholar, presents a succinct sketch ofSankaras life-storyin his kavya, Patanjali Caritam. The scholar begins thestory in the eighth canto of his work, with this incident of the crocodilescatchingthefootofSankara:-


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(Attrantaresaritinakragrhitapadah,SannyasyaSankaramunirduritadvimuktah.)

Theversesaysthathisfoodhavingbeencaughtbyacrocodile,intheriver,thesageSankaratooktotheasceticorderandgotfreedquicklyfromtheclutchesofthecrocodile.

ThenSankaraarranged forhismother beingtakencare ofproperly,andwithher consent left Kaladi. He began to travel northwards for being formallyinitiatedinthe sannyasaashrama,bya goodpreceptor. Incourseoftimehereached the bank of the Narmada river. According to tradition and most

literary evidences, the boy ascetic got formally initiated by GovindaBhagavatpadawhowas residinginasmallcave onthebankoftheNarmada.According toa verse inthe Sankara-vijaya, authorship ofwhichis ascribedtoMadhava Govinda Bhagavatpada initiated Sankara by imparting all themahavakyastohim.Theverseisasfollows:

(Bhaktipurvakrtatatparicaryatosito(a)dhikataramyativaryah;

Brahmatamupadidesacaturbhirvedasekharavacobhiramusmai.)

Chidvilasasbiographyof/SankaracharyaalsonotesthatSankarawasinitiatedintoallthemahavakyasbyGovindaBhagavatpada,thus:-


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(Mahavakyanidivyanitattvamasyadikanyapi;Mumuksubhihsadadhyeyamrahasyamyadyadasti

Upadisadatahsarvamvedantarthaviniscitam;

Sanyasibhirvidheyamstuvisvesassmrticoditan.)

Theseveralbiographiesdealingwiththelife-storyofSankaraandotherworksgivingbriefsketchesaswellarenotcompletelyuniformindetails. Butstillalltheseworks indicateSankaraslongand extensive tour,on foot,throughthelengthandbreadthofthecountry(perhapseventwice),forthepurposesofcondemning heretic religious sects, of safeguarding the Vedic Dharma, ofestablishingthesix-foldpathofdevotiononasoundVedicbaseandforthe

propagationofAdvaitaVedanta.Itisnowonderthatmanyaholyspotinthecountry claims some kind of association or other with the name of AdiSankaracarya.

MostbiographicalworksonSankaraandotherworkshavingsomeincidentalinformation aboutthe great Acarya uniformlynarrate Sankaras coveringthefour dhams or the traditional four Corners of India Dvarka in the west,Badrinathinthenorth,JagannathPuriintheeastandRamesvaraminthesouth during the course of his digvijaya or tour of the victory of the directions.

Moreover the three popular biographies of Sankara viz, the Sankaravijayaascribed to Madhava, (Navakalidasa) Cidvilasas biography and AnandagirisworkagreeintheAcaryasvisiststofourofthesevensacredmokshapurisKasi, Kanchi, UjjainandDvaraka. Hisvisits to Ayodhya, Maya (Hardvar)andMadhuraarenotruledout.


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relates Sankaras arrival at the sacred city along with his disciples. SomesubsequentversesnarratehisresidingattheManikarnikaghat,thedailybathintheGangaandworshipofVisvanatha,thegreatrejoicingofthepeoplewhochantedtoseethegreatyoungascetic,therespectshownbytherulerofKasi

andthedevotionofSanandana(padmapada),toSankara.Inthenextchapter,(13)thediscipleTotakaisintroduced.The14thand15thchaptersdealwiththeproduction ofthe famousbhashyas, Vyasasmeeting Sankara,(the formerinthe disguise of an old Brahmin), the protracted on Vyasas sutras, Vyasarevealing at last his true self and expressing his great satisfaction andappreciationof Sankarasgloss andhis blessings etc.; after SankarashavinggoneroundVyasaandbowedtohim.

TheVerses,thepurportofwhichhasbeengiveninbriefabove,readasfollows;-


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c. InAnandagirisSankaravijayathe52ndprakaranawiththeheadingVyasa-darsanamcommenceswiththefollowingpassage:-

(Atnoon,oneday,whenthegreatGuru(Sankara)wassittingindeepmeditationattheManikarnikaghatinVaranasi.Vyasacamethereinthedisguiseofanoldman,VyasasawtheyoungSankarasurroundedbysixthousanddisciplesandlookinglikeSivainthemidstofpramathaganas,asIndrainthecentreofcelestialsandlikeBrahmaseatedinthemiddleofsages.Vyasaaskedthediscipleswhotheyoungmanwas).Thereupontheytoldthedisguisedmaninreply:-

(Oholdman!ThisisSankarathepreceptorsteepedinbliss.Having

annihilatedhereticsectsinplaceslikeRamesvaram,havingproducedacommentary,withdecidedmeanings,oftheBrahmasutrasandhavingtrainedwiseanddiscerningstudentsforexpoundingtheAdvaitadiscipline,heshinesasRudraonthebankoftheGanga.)


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ThenensuesalongdebatebetweentheagedmanandSankaraonthemeaningofsomeoftheBrahmasutras.Learningfromhisdisciple,Padmaada,thattheoldmanwasVyasaindisguise,sankarapaysobeisancetoVyasa.Vyasahavingbeensatisfied with Sankaras exposition of the sutra blesses Sankara

anddepartsalongwithBrahmawhohascometheretograntanextensionoflifetoSankara.

Thesedetailsarenarratedinthemajorpartofthe52ndprakaranaandinthenexttwoprakaranasofAnandagiriswork.

Sri Sankaras Digvijaya - At the Four Dhams

Sankaracaryas travel to the four sacred traditional corners of India,popularly known as Chardham, is noted. Dasnami ascetics makpilgrimages to these four corners Dvaraka, Badrinath Jagannath (Puri) andRamesvaram to this day. Sankara Digvijaya narrates Sankaras yatra tothese traditional corners. The work describes the Acaryas visit toRamesvaram thus:

The above lines indicate that Sankara, accompanied by thousands ofdisciples and king Sudhanva, at first started for Ramesvaram where he

worshipped Sri Ramanatha).


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Fiveverses(56to60)inthe6thcantoofthesameworkpointstoSankarasvisittothenorthernBadrinath,whileverse73ofCantoXVnotestheAcaryastriptoDvaraka,theWesternDham.Theversereads:-


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The Chidvilasiya Sankaravijaya points to Sankaras formal initiation intosannyasa by Govinda Bhagavatpada as having taken place at Badari,instead of at the bank of the Narmada, as stated in other biographical

works.Thefollowingthreeverse(37,38&46)ofthe8thChapteroftheworkrelates that Sankara gradually reached Badarinath, in the north, during thecourse ofhistourinsearchofapreceptorforbeinginitiatedintothe regular

asceticorderandthatatBadarihefoundGovindaBhagavatpada:-

SankaracaryasreachingJagannatha(Puri),theeasterncornerisnarratedbyCidvilasa:-


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TheAcaryaspilgrimagetoDvaraka,atthewesternend,whereMahavisnushineswithMahalaksmiandSankarasstaythereforamontharenarratedin

thisbiographyasfollows:-

TheversesinCidvilasasworkpointingtoSankarasstayatRamesvaram,thesoutherndham,readasfollows:-


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(TheversesfoundabovespeakoftheAcaryassarrivalatRamesvaram,hisbathingintheMahodadhiandtheRatnakara(theBayofBengalandtheArabianSea),hisglanceatthevarioussacredwaterspotsandhutmentsoftheplace,himselfperformingabhishekawithgreatdevotiontoSriRamanathawithGangawaterbroughtallthewayfromthenorthandhisworshipofSriRamanathawithblivapetals.)

AnandagiriSankaravijayarecordsthecoverageofthefourdhams-thetraditional corners during his digvijaya by Sankara, Sankaras reachingRamesvaram at the Southern end, his worship of Sri Ramanatha with thesacredwateroftheGangaandwithlotusflowers,duringhisstayattheplacefortwomonthsetc.,inthefollowinglines:-

The Acaryas yatra to Badari in the north, to Dvaraka in the west and toJagannathPuriintheeastishintedatbrieflyinthe56thPrakaranaofthework.

SankarasworshipofSriMahakalesvaraandBhagavatiMahachandiintheMokshapuri of Ujjain in Central India, is related in both Cidvilasas andAnandagiris biographics. Sankaracharyas visit to and stay at the SouthernMoksapuri of Kanci is vividly described in almost all biographies and otherworksnarratingthelife-storyoftheAcarya.


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CHAPTER 2

Kanchi the Southern Mokshapuri

An oft quoted and popular verse enumerates the moksapuris (cities ofliberationfromthebondageofbirthsanddeaths)asseveninnumber:

(Ayodhya; Mathura, Maya or Hardwar, Kasi, Kanci, Avantika or Ujjaikn andDvarakaarethesevencitiesbestowingmoksai.e.deliverance.)

Oftheseseven,Hardvar,KasiandUjjainaresacredtodevoteesofLordSiva,while,Ayodhya,Mathura and Dvaraka are holy todevotees ofVishnu, Kanci,the southernMoksapuri is sacred to devotees of Siva, Visnu and Sakti alike.Kanci, popularly known as Kancipuram, is a city of celebrity according to awidelycommonsaying,(NagaresuKanci).ThePerumpanarrupadai,anancientworkoftheTamilSangamage,pointstoKanciasanoldcityoftheworld:-

(Malartalai Ulagathullum palar tozhaVizhavu mempatta pazaviran moodur)

Thetwolines(inTamil)foundabove indicatesthatKanci isan ancientcityoftheworld,thefameofwhichishighlightedbyfestivalscelebratedbydevoteesofallfaiths.

KanciispointedoutasthenaveloftheEarthintheKancimahatmyam:-


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TheKamaksivilasamalsospeaksofKanciasthenaveloftheEarthinChapters

11and13:-(Chapter11-6-13-73)

GeographicallyspeakingKancimaybetakenassituatedroughlyattheCentreof the Eastern Hemisphere. The Latitude of the city is approximately 12.5

north. Itmaybe notedthat thenavelofa human bodyisa little above thecentreofthehumanframe.TheMerutantraalsospeaksofKanciastheNavelofthe Earth. The Azimuthal mapofthe Worldwill showthat KanciisalmostthenavelspotoftheEarth.

Cidambaramisfamousastheakasaksetra(thesacredplaceofEther)ofSiva.EvensoKanciistheakasapithaofDevi.TheKamaksivilasasays:-

ThemeaningofthisverseisthatthesubtlecaveinsidethesanctumsanctorumofthetempleofSriKamaksi,atKanci),whichistheplaceofpenanceofDeviisdeemedasthe supremeatmosphere orakasa. TheTantric text SaubhagyaCintamanitoopointstoKanciastheplaceoftheAkasaPithaofSakti.

TheKancipuranaofSivajnanaMunivarreferstoKanciasthenavelspotofMotherEarthandastheall-pervadingatmosphereinsidethebiola,inoneoftheversesasfollows:-


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Anaiyal parappu nun bilamaki arutpara veliyaitikazhumAnaikadal Udukkai nilamakatkundi sthanamam

(Kancipuram Veerattahasappatalam 31)

Kanci is described as a sacred centre of pilgrimage in Puranas. In theUmasamhita about eleven verses speak of the tirthayatra (pilgrimage) ofVyasa,thegreatseer,tosacredplacessuchasthesevenmoksapuris. Oneoftheseversesreads:-

IntheaboveverseitisstatedthatVyasavisitedthedeltaoftheGodavari. Theconfluencesofthesevensacredbranchesofthe Godavariwiththe seagobythe name Saptagodavaritata. An anecdote about Vyasas visit to theSaptagodavariareaandtoKanciwillbeinterestinginthecontext.

WhileVyasawasresidingatVaranasi,somesagesapproachedhimandasked him, which God needs be worshipped for attaining moksha? Vyasaraised both his hands above the head and said Why? It is Narayana thegreatest of all Gods. Nandikesvara, who was nearby, got wild and cursed

Vyasa,saying, Letthyraisedhandsremainassuchforever.Unabletogethishands down. Vyasa prayedtoVishnufor relief. Vishnu manifested HimselfbeforeVyasaandsaidSivaisPara.Youshouldnothaveforgottenit.PraytoLord Siva and adore him, spending some time on pilgrimage. Accordingly,VyasamadealongpilgrimagefromVaranasidownsouth.Incourseoftimehereached the delta of the Godavari. Vyasa bathed at the sacred spot called


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Brahmasamvedyam,whereoneofthesevenbranchesoftheGodavarientersthe sea. There he is said to have got the clue for deliverance fromNandikesvarascursefromtheeffectsofwhichhehadbeenstillsuffering.

VyasareachedKanciincourseoftimewithhishandsstillunabletobebroughtdown.ItisstronglybelievedthatonsingingthepraiseofLordSiva,atKanci, Vyasa got freed from Nandikesvaras curse. Stucco images of VyasareliefsseeninthebaseoftheVimanaofthistemple,oneisintheposeofboththehandsofthesageliftedupaboveheadandthepalmsclosedoneupontheother.Immediatelyadjacenttothis(ontheleftside)canbeseenanimageofVyasa with the hands in the natural form after the sages deliverance fromNandikesvarascurse,citedabove.

While givinga listofplaces where sageshave takenabode for

performingpenance,theMarkandeyaPuranareferstothoseseersresidingatKanci.

DakshinahkaurusayecaRskastapasasramah:

Rsabhahsimhalascaivatathakanceenivasinah

A verse in the Teerthayatraprakarana of the Bhagavata Purana links theKamakotipuri Kanchi, the Southern Moksapuri, with Kaveri, the southernsacred stream (of the seven holy rivers of India) and Srirangam, the mostsacredofVishnushrines.TheverserunsthusintheTeluguandothersouthernrecensions:-

KamaktipurimKancimKaverimcasaridvaram:SrirangakhyuammahapunyamYatraSannihitoHarih


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times mentions the presence of a ruling prince of Kanci at DamayantissvayaamvaraandofaYogesvaraMurtiinKanci,ishisNaisadhacarita,oneofthePancaMahakavyas(fivegreatclassics).

AbundantreferencestoKanciarefoundinTamilclassicalliteratureofthe Sangam age and of medieval age. The Sangam classic,Perumpanarrupadai, notes Kanci as a celebrated ancient city of boundlesseducationaladvancement(Videlines408-41).

Manimekalai,oneofthefivegreatTamilclassicalpoems,ofthepostSangamperiod,speaksofthedestroyalofPuhar,capitalofancientColarulers,causedbuyerosionoftheseaandtheconsequentmigrationofalargenumberofsurvivorsfromtheruinedcitytoKanci.(Videcanto20).

SaivaNayanmarsandVaisnavaAlwars,whohavesunginpraiseofthedeitiesinthetemplesofKanchi,refertothegreatnessofSriKamaksithus:-

EvenwhensingingthepraiseofTiruvadikaiVirattanam(nearPannurutti,intheSouthArcotDt.OfTamilnadu),AppearreferstoKamakoti(i.e.Kamaksi,oftheKamakottaminKanci).

TirujnanaSambandar,acontemporaryofAppar,(7thcenturyA.D.),adoring the Lord of Irumbulai (Alangudy in the Thanjavur Dt.Of Tamilnadu),describestheIsvaraofthetempleatAlangudi,asresidentatIrumbulaialongwith the Kamakoti shining at Kanci. The second line of this verse reads

(KaccippoliKamakkodiyudanKudi)IITirumuraiIrumbulai4)InanotherofhisTevaramversesSambandarspeaksofKanciashighlyprosperousandrisinghighuptotheskyinthefollowinglines:-


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In the seventh Tirumurai, a Tevaram verse by Sundrarar in praise ofOnakantanrali,referstoKamakottamintheancientcityofKanci

Naccinarkiniyara,CekkisharandmanyothergreatTamilScholarshavepraisedthecityofkancianditsimportance,intheirworks.Cekkizharsays:-

TirumangaiAlavar,inoneof hishymnsinpraiseofKanci,refers tothe stonerampartsofthecity.TheTamilwordsusedintheverseare:-(Kallalmadilswzhkacchinagar).

VedantaDesikaoftherecentpastspeaksofhisadjectsurrenderuntoSriVaradarajashiningatKanci,importantamongthesevenMoksapuris

AppayaDiksita,hastohiscreditabeautifuldevotionallyric,Varadarajastavam,extollingSriVardarajaatKanci.

Fromthehistoricalpointofviewtoo,KanciCityisanimportantone.Some oftheEdicts ofAsokareferstothe kingdom ofSatyaputra,amongtheindependent Kingdoms south of the Mauryan Empire. On a carefulexamination,it canbe concluded thatthis SatyaputraKingdom of oldis onlytheTondaimandalamorneckregionoftheTamilcountry.Itmaybenotedthatthereis anameSatyavrataksetraforKanci. Averseof the celebratedTamilpoet,Pukazendi,states thatthe people ofTondaimandalamwillneverspeakuntrutheveniftheyweretogaintheworldasrecompenseforutteringalie

HistorytellsoftheGuptaEmperor,Samudragupta,havingreachedKanciattheend of his southern expedition. Kanci has been the capital of successive


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CHAPTER 3

Sri Shankaracharya at Kanchi

ThebiographiesgivingpurelythelifestoryofSankaracaryaarenotuniformindetails as already observed. As regards the places that the Acarya visitedduringhis digvijaya tours,the orderofthe placesgiven inthebiographies isvariantfrom oneanother. But,not onlythe biographicalskestchesbutevensome other works having incidental references to Sankaras stay at Kanchi,

thoughtherearediscrepanciesregardingtheeventsduringthestay.Astudyofthe information contained in each of the biographical treatises and otherworksregardingtheAcaryasarrivalatKanci,hisstayinthecityandconnectedeventswillbefoundusefulandinteresting.

SankarasarrivalatKanchi

Amongthebiographies,theoneascribedtoMadhavaalonegivesscantydetailsaboutSankarasstayatthesacredcity.Inthefourthverseofthe15th

cantoofthiswork,SankaraissaidtohavereachedKanciafterhisworshippingatSriRamanathaatRamesvaram:-

TheDindimacommentaryonthefourthlineoftheversesays-


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Madhaviya Sankaravijaya mentions Sankaras having been instrumental forbuilding the temple of Kamaksi according to therules of Paravidya (Srividyaand replaced the tantic mode of worship bythe Vedic mode. Though thename Kamaksi is not expressed in the pertinent verse(quoted below), the

wordBhagavatyahfoundintheverseclearlindicatesKamaksiDevi.

ConsecrationofSricakraandDeviKamakshi

The verse in the Madhaviya Sankaravijaya (quoted above) hints at theconsecrationof Sricakraby Sankara inthe Suradhama (temple)of Bhagavati(Kamaksi). Paravidyaandcarananusari(words usedinthe verse) indicatesthekonasoftheSricakra.

IntheCidvilasaSankaravijaya,elevenverses(35to45)ofthe25thchapteroftheworkrelatethedrawingoftheSricakrabeforeKamaksiandthearrangementsmadefortheproperworshiupoftheDeviSriEkamranathaandSriVaradaraja.

SankarabhyudayanarratesSankarashavingdarshanofEkamranathaunder the mango tree, describes the Kampasaras, relates his entering thetempleofKamaksi,andthe prayersto Kamakshi,inthe 7thcanto. The eightcanto of the work is almost entirely devoted to the details of Sricakra, theangles, the bindu etc., and the Saktis residing in them. Evidently, thereferencesaretotheSricakaraconsecratedbySankarabeforeDeviKamaksiinthetempleatKanci.

GuruvamsaKavyareferstoSankarasconsecrationofKamaksiverybrieflythus:


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The Sankaravijaya of Anantanandagiri states that Bhagavatpada Sankaraconsecrated Devi Zamasi, who is described by the author as Cidrupini;Brahmavidya and Rudrasakti. The work refers to the etheric aspect of theDevi residing in a bila (cave under the ground) and Kamaksi being Para

Devata(thesupremeGoddess).

TheestablishmentoftheSricakrabySankara,andthecomponentanglesetc.,ofthe Cakra are described inparakarana 65. It isalso said therein that theAcaryaconsecratedtheSricakrathere(beforetheDevi)withtheviewthatbythemeredarshanofit,thefruitsofmoksa(deliverancefromearthlybondage)canbehadbyall.

TheconsecrationofKamaksiisalsospokenaboutintheGuruparampara(listofPreceptors)of theBharatiorder ofthe Tungabhadraregion,publishedbyDr.HultzchandtheKudaliguruparamparanamamala.

Manimanjaribhedini(CantoIVverse32)notesSankarasconsecrationoftheSricakraatKanci:-

SankarabhyudayaofRajaCudamaniDikshita,writteninthemiddleofthe19thcenturyhintsattheconsecrationofSriKamaksiatKancibySankara:-


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Yatiman pravarodhigatya Kancipuramasmin Subhamalayam MrdanyahVirachayya(vi-5)

Bhagavatpadabyudaya, written by Mahamahopadhyaya Lakshmana Suri,publishedbyVaniVilasaPress,Srirangam,referstotheAcaryaconsecrationofSircakrainfrontofDeviKamaksi.


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CHAPTER 4

Sarvajnapitharohana

A significant event in the life story of Sri Sankaracarya is theSarvajnapitharohanai.e.SankarasoccupyingtheThroneofOmniscience.

Among the biographical works giving, in full, the history of the Acarya,Cidvilasas Sankaravijayavilasa, the Sankaracarya Caritam, and RajacudamaniDiksitas Sankarabhyudaya,statethatthiseventtookplaceatKanci. ImpliedreferencesarefoundinsomeotherworksalsoaboutSankarasascendingtheSarvajnaPithaatKanci.

Sixteen verses of the 25th chapter of Cidvilasas biography (Quoted below)describetheGreat AcaryasoccupyingtheseatofOmniscienceat Kanci. Theversesrelatehowan air noise informedthe Acarya,that it willbeproperforhimtoascendthePithaafterwinningindebateallscholarsassembledthere.Sankara thought for a while. Scholars from the Tamraparnivalleygatheredthere and put some questions to Sankara on his abhedavada, the theory ofillusion,devabheda,murtibhedaetc. Inreply,Sankaraexplainedto them theeternal nature of Brahman, the Brahman being the one reality, the non-

existenceofasecondotherthanBrahmanandalsoimpartedthemthemeansofattainingdeliverance.Fullyconvinced,thescholarsbowedbeforetheGreatPreceptor. Thereafter, Sankara ascended the Sarvanja Pitha amidst thesounding of musical instruments andtumultuous shouts of joy made by thespectators. Showersofflowersrainedandfragrantbreezeblew. Theversesaregivenbelow:-


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The Sankaracarya Caritam of Govindanatha relates Sankaras wish to ascendtheSarvajnaPithaatKanciinverses3and16ofCantoIXas:

SankarasoccupyingtheseatismentionedintheAcaryaAstakaattheendof

thework,as:-

Rajacudamani Diksitas Sankarabhyudaya narrates this important event insevenversesincantoseven(verses64to70),VerseNO.66runsthus:-


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The Sarvajana Pitha or Sarvajna Asrama or the Kamakoti Pitha all signifyingdecidedlythemathawhereSankarashoneintheeveningofhislifehasbeencited as a Sankarite institution of importance not only in biographies of theAcaryabutalsoinvariousworksofmodernthinkersandscholars.

* (The Sankaravijaya, attributed to Madhava, and the Guruvamsa Kavya(Sringeri) mention Kashmir as the place where Sankara ascended theSarvajnaPitha.)


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CHAPTER 5

Kanci Sankaracaryas Last Resort

BhagavatpadaSankararepairedtoKanci,thesouthernMoksapuri,towardstheendofhisearthlycareer.Anumberofworksspeakofthisfact.

1. Anandagiris biography of Sankara (all versions printed manuscripts,includingtheMadrasUniversityEdition),has:-

(Prakarana74)

(Therefore,theWorldPreceptor(Sankara),desiringtoleaveforhisownabode,sitting once in the Moksapuri of Kanci, having absorbed the gross physicalframeintothesubtleone,turningintotheshapeofathumb,attainedeternal

blissandremainsastheallpervadingCittothisday).

2.Theconcluding verse ofRajacudamaniDiksitasSankarabhyudaya, refers toSankarasworshippingKamesvari(Kamaksi)everydayattainingsupremebliss:-

3.Theancientandvoluminouswork,Sivarahasya,givesabriefsketchoftheAcaryas life in the 16th chapter of the ninth section. This work has beenpublishedasNO.32intheJayachamarajendraGranthamalaSeries,inCanaresescript,withtranslationinKannadalanguage.Besides,manuscriptcopiesofthework are available in many of the manuscript libraries of India, such as theOriental ManuscriptsLibraryat Baroda,the GovernmentOrientalManuscriptsLibrary, Madras, the Adyar Library, Madras, the Sarasvati Mahal Library at


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Thanjavur etc. The pertinentlines foundbelowpurport tostatethatSankaracame to the earth in haste after obtaining the five sphatika Lingas- Yoga.Bhoga,Vara, MuktiandMoksa;vanquished Buddhist,Jainandother scholarsandattainedSiddhi(eternalbliss)athisownasramaatKanci.

4. Markandeya Samhita, anancient puranic treaties consists of100Khandas,each havingsubsections,calledparispandas. Sub sections7 and 8ofthe72ndKhandaofthisworknarratebrieflythehistoryofSankara.Thisisevidentfrom the colophonatthe end ofthe 7th parispanda ofthe 72ndKhanda, asnoticedintheDescriptiveCatalogueofSanskritManuscripts,volumeVIoftheOrientalResearchInstitute,UniversityofMysore,1981page191(AppendixI-332, Serial No.18179, Ms.No.P.3387/1 title: Sankaracaritam). The colophonreads:-

Averseintheseventhparispandaofthe72ndkhandaofthisworkrelatesthatthe Mahatma, Sankara, attained the cisvarupa, i.e. attained eternal bliss, atKanci after having consecrated Kamaksi and ordaining Suresvara for theworshipoftheSrividyarajaPitha.

TheverseindicatingSankarasleavingoffhismortalcoilsatKancireadsasfollows:-


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5.PatanjaliVijayam,by Ramabhadra Diksita (Kavyamala series No.51, NirnayaSagarPress,Bombay),hasthefollowingverse:-

TheseaboveverseindicatesthatSankara,afterhavingproducedtheBhasyasandconqueredthedirections(digvijaya),stayedpermanentlyatKanci.

6.AReportonSearchforSanskritManuscriptsinSouthIndia,byDr.Hultzch,aGerman scholar,(published by the Government Press,Madras, in1908 No.

2146 Part III), contains a list of pontifical preceptors of the BHarati asceticorderoftheTungabhadraregion.SomeversesarefoundinthislistaboutAdiSankaracarya. The verse quoted below related that, after travelling widely,Sankara reached Kanciof hisownaccord,consecratedKamaksi and attainedfinalbeautitudeatKanciitself.Theversereadsthus:-

7.TheGuruparamparaNamamalaoftheSankariteInstitutionattheconfluenceof the rivers, Tunga and Bhadra (Kudali), also speaks of the Great AcaryasreachingKanciafterlongandwidetravels,ofhisowndesire,theconsecrationofDeviKamaksiandhisSiddhithere,intheversefoundbelow:


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According to other sources, he died at Badarikasrama (Kedaranath)disappearinginacaveintheHimalayas.Theweightofprobablilitybelongstothe first view. (Page 240, Gopal Basu Mallik Lectures,by Dr.S.K.Belvalkar,Poona,1929).

PanditN.Bhashyacharya(ofMadras)inhisAgeofSankaracarya(AdyarLibrary,Madras1980A.D.page22),saysLastlytowardstheendofhislifehecametothesouthbuthadtoleavehisbodyandthisworldatConjeevaramattheearlyageofthirtytwo.

It needs mention that, in the Srimukha Birudavali (the string of honorificepithets)of SankaracaryaMutt and Kanciexistingwithout changefrom veryancienttimesthefollowingepithetisfound:-

It is to be noted that, in the commentary on verse 103, Canto XVI of theSankaadigvijaya,ascribedtoMadhava,itisstated:

Thereafter,thewholeofChapter16ofthe9thamsaofSivarahasyaisquotedinfull.The46thversei.e.,thelaststanzaofthe16thchapter,endswiththe

words inthecommentary.

Somefortyyearsago,animageofAdyaSankarawasinstalledatKedarnathbytheHeadoftheDvarakaMatha.Prominentamongthosewho

wereinstrumentalintheerectionofthismemorialatKedarnathwaslateDr.Sampurnanand,thethenChiefMinisterofUttarPradesh.HisviewsregardingtheplacewhereSankaraattainedeternalblissweremadeclearinaletterbyhimtoDr.T.N.Ramachandran(lateJointDirectorofArchaeology,GovernmentofIndia).Theletterwasdated6thJuly1958.Amongthecontentsoftheletters,thefollowingisworthperusing:-


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Recently, I hadoccasionto discuss the matter with theShankaracharyaof DvarakaPitha also. Inthefirstplace,thewordsamadhi,(atKedarnath),isamisnomerinthisconnection.ThereisnothingtoprovethatShriShankaracharyadiedatthisspot.

AboutayearaftertheabovementionedletterofDr.Sampurnanand,aprominent Sadhu of Kerala, Sri Sahajananda of Guruvayur, in his letter(publishedintheHindudated16thJune1959)hasstatedOnenquiryatJoshiMatha,theysayit(thememorialatKedarnath)isonlyasankalpasamadhiandtheactualSamadhiisnotatthatspot.


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CHAPTER 6

Sankaracarya Sculptures in Kanci

Inthe Sacred cityofKancinumeroussculpturesofSriSankaracaryaare tobeseentothisday.Thesesculpturesarefoundmostlyinthetemplesofthecity.Someofthesestoneimagesarelargeandsomearesmall.Besides,theyareofdifferent poses. Moreover, they are found in almost all important templesirrespective oftheirbeingdedicatedto Siva,Visnuor Sakti.Not only inKancisuchsculpturesarefoundbutalsointemplesexistingmilesaround.

IntheKamaksitempleofKancithereisalife-sizeiconofSankaracarya,onaraisedsmall mantap tothe north eastern sideof the sanctum sanctorum ofDevi Kamakshi. Itis in daily worship. Inthis same temple, stoneimagesofSankara can be seen in the shrines of the Yatrotsava Kamaksi and BangaruKamaksi.


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Very near the Kamaksi temple is the temple of Skanda, popularly known asKumarakotam,whereinaSankaraSculpture isfound. About half-afurlongtothe south west of the Kamaksi temple stands the Kachapesvara temple

wherealsoasculpturedrepresentationofSankaraistobeseen.


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OntheleftsideofthemainentrancetotheEkamresvaratempleinKanci,thereisasmallshrineforGanesa.Inthisshrinealso,thereisasmallstoneimageofSankaracarya.AnequisitesculptureoftheAcaryaisfoundonthefrontfaceof

a pillar before the small sub- shrine of Siva, south east of the huge Nandiinside the Ekamranatha temple. Around the figure of the Acarya are foundghata (small water vessel), an umbrella, a camera (whisk) a Sivalinga and abook on a stand. Another Sankara sculpture in the pose of performingpenance(standing)alongwithaLinga,abookandwhisksetc.,distributedonall sides ofthe sculpture, isseenbythe side of the time honoured sacredmango tree(Mavadi) inthe PrakaraofEkamranathatemple. AslightlylargerstoneimageofSankara,inasimilarpenancepose,canbeseenintheVaikuntaPerumaltempleinSivaKanci.

StuccoimagesofSankaraandVyasaareseenintheKailasanathatempleatKanci.InasculpturalpanelintheIravattanesvaratempleatKancionecanseebythesideofDaksinamurti(inthecentre),imagesoftheoldsageVyasaandSankarachiseledasayoungboyinhisearlyteens.


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!


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(Sculpturesof Sage Vyasa(sitting) andSankaracharya(standing) on a pillar, in the mantapnear the entrance to the shrine of Perundevi Thayar Shrine in Sri Varadaraja Temple atVishnu-Kanchi)

IntheVaradarajatempleinVisnuKanci,inapillaronthemantapambeforetheshrineofMahadevithe imagesofVyasashowingonefinger,asifdenotingtheadvaita concept and Sankara standingnear,have been chiseled. Inthe fourpillared mantap, to the south of the Anantasaras tank in the same temple,there is a sculpture of Sankara instandingposture. Inthe Punyakotisvaratemple in Visnu Kanci there is a stone image of Sankara. In Srivasthanamtemple, about a mile off Visnu Kanci, there is a sculptural panel, in the walli nside the sanctum sanctor um, por tr aying Sanka ra a s per fo rmi ngdandavandana (obeisancewiththe danda,theholystaffofanscetics) toSiva

andParvati.

On the wall inside the sanctum of the Kamakoti Sankaracarya math atKanchipuram, there isasculptured image ofSankaraflanked bysixdisciples.Ontheoutersideoftheshrinetherearetwofragmentaryinscriptions,ofthe


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end of the 14th century, which refer to gifts of lands to the math by KingKampanna. In a village called Sevilimedu, some five kilometers away fromKanci and even in distant places such as Pappancavadi, Poonamallee,Tiruvottiyur (near Madras) there are Sankara sculptures in the important

templesofthoseplaces.

AnoteontheSankaracaryamurtiinworshipattheKamaksitempleandtheoneintheSankaracaryaMathaatKanci:


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! !InSankaracaryasLaghunamavaliandintheAstottarasatanamavalithereisonename Sanmatasthapanaacarya. All biographers of Sankaracarya speak of hishaving established six devotional paths(Sagunopasana) namely, Saiva,Vaisnava,Sakta,Saura,GanapatyaandKapalikaonasoundVedicfooting.TheGuruvamsakavya(inverse34ofCantoIII)indicatesthatSankaraleftthebanksof the Tungabhadra with his disciples. The next verse speaks of theconsecration of Kamaksi. Verse No.36 states that six disciples, after takingleaveoftheAcarya,departedfordifferentpartsofthecountryforpropagatingthesixpathsofdevotionsuchas,Saiva,Sakta,etc. Inthecomments onthisversewrittenbytheauthoroftheKavyahimself,thenamesofthesixdisciples


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are given as Paramatakalanala, Laksmana, Truipurakumara, Ravikumara,GirijakumaraandVatukanatha.TheDindimacommentaryonverse174ofcantoXVofMadhavasSankaradigvijayatoogivesthesameinformationandthesamenamesofthesixdisciples.ThedepartureofthesixdisciplesfromKanci

for propogating the six faiths after receiving the blessings of Sankara, isnarratedinchapter67to72 ofAnantanandagirisSankaraVijaya.Thenamesofthesixdisciples,asstartedinthiswork,areidenticalwiththenamesgivenintheGuruvamsakavya. Tenversesinchapter31oftheSankaravijayavilasaofCidvilasa describe how the six disciples bowed to Sankara and with hisblessingsdepartedforpropagatingthesixpathsofdevotion.

Itwillnotbeapocryphaltoinferthatthispieceofuniforminformationabout Sankara, given in four works, authored by scholars of different times,gets corroboratedby the existence indailyworship ofSankaracarya with Sixdisciples intheKamaksitemple at Kanci andintheSankaracaryaMathofthesameplace.InnootherpartofthecountrycansuchalargenumberofSankaracaryasculptures be found. It is evident that the name of Sankaracarya and hisconnectionwithKancihavetakensuchdeeprootsinthemindsofthepeopleoftheregion,asthathismemoryhasbeenperpetuatedinstone.


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(5)Late S.S. Suryanarayana Sastry, a former Professor of Philosophy of theUniversity of Madras, in his work Sankaracharya, Philosopher andMystic(1938),statesSriSankaraestablishedseveralmuttsthemostnotableofwhichareperhapsthoseofSaradaPeetaandKamakotiPeeta.

(6)Mahamahopadhyaya, PadmavibhushanGopinath Kaviraj observes (inpage113ofhiswork,BharatiyaSamskritiaurSadhana:-

(ForhisownresidenceAcaryaSankarafoundedaseatintheKanciKamakoti

Pitha).

(7)IntheKarnatakaVisesasancika(PublishedbytheSankaravijayaKaryalaya,Mys ore 1935), Saligram Srikanta Sas tri, has s pe cified ab ou t AdyaSankaracaryasownasramaatKanci.

(8)LateDr.Sir.C.P.Ramaswami IyeraveteranJurist,aformer DewanoftheTravancoreStateandaprominentcitizenofourcountry,inhisbrochureWorldReligious a study in Synthesis, (Pulished by the Government Press,Trivandrum 1942)Refers to Kanci as one of Sankaras capitals and hisestablishmentofamathatKanci.

(9) In the Chronology of Nepal History (Reconstructed) 1953, by Sri KotaVenkatachalam, the following information about the Sankarite Institution atKanciisfound:-

The Kamakoti Pithaat Kanci wasfounded inVaisakha SuklaPurnima of theYearSiddhartiwithAdiSankara himselfas thefirstAcarya(2020ofKaliera-482B.C.)

(10) Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bombay) has published a short work by nameIndian Chronology, written by Dr.S.S. Triveda, Ph.D., (1959). The work isamere compilation of dates of historical events and personages from ancienttimes.Inpage91ofthework,datesaregivenforestablishmentofinstitutionsby Sankaracarya. There it is stated that the Kamakoti Pitha at Kanci was


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founded on Vaisakha, Sukla Full Moon in Kali Saka 2620 = 482 B.C. with SriSankaraBhagavatpadahimselfasthefirstAcarya.

(11) Dr.T.M.P.MahadevanProfessor of Philosophy, University of Madras, has

observed(inhis broadcast talk,publishedunderthe caption Contribution oftheSouthtotheCulturalHeritageofIndiabythePublicationDivisionoftheMinistryofInformationandBroadcasting.GovernmentofIndia-1961),thathe(Sankara)setupatcardinalpointsofthecountry,monasticinstitutionswhichwouldprotectthespiritualinterestsoftherace.Oftheseinstitutions,fivearethemostimportant. ExcepttheoneatBadariintheHimalayas,theotherfourareinthepeninsularpartofIndiaatPuri,Dwaraka,SringeriandKanci.

(12)Prof.BaladevUpadhyaya,formerHeadofthePuranaandItihasaSectionofthe Benares Hindu University, has written a biography of Sankara SriSankaracarya,inHindi(PublishedbytheHindustaniAcademyofAllahabad1963). In the 16th Pariccheda (Chapter) of the work having the headingMathomKavivaran(Detailsaboutmaths)thefollowinginformationisfound:-

By him (Sankaracarya) in southern Bharat, at Kanci, one of the sevenMoksapuries,amathahasbeenestablishedpage191.

(13).TheChengleputDistrictGazetteer,publishedbyCharlesStuartCroleI.E.S.in 1879 A.D. has the following details:- The first of these wandering

controversialists was Shankarachari(who flourished in the 9th or 10thcentury?) and wanderedall over India, establishingthe dyingreligion,SaivitefaithandfanningthepersecutionbeforewhichthelastdiscipleofSakiyafled.HepaidparticularattentiontoConjeevaramwhere heworkedmanymiraclesand founded a Matham or Monastery. (Chingleput District GazetteerEthnological,ReligiousandSocialpage86and87).

(14). Justice P. Sathyanarayana Rao and Justice P.Rajagopalan, in their

JudgementinC.M.P.No.2591of1951,oftheMadrasHighCourt(ReportedinIMLJ557A.I.R.1952,Madras613),haveobserved.Traditionhasitthatafterconquering the rival faiths he (Sankara) established the Advaita system ofphilosophyandfoundedfourMuttsorseatsoflearninginthefourcornersofthis vast sub-continent Sringeri Saradain the North,Jagannath ormodernPuriintheEast,andDwarakaintheBombayPresidencyinthewest.IneachoftheseMutts;as theirheads,he installed his principal disciples and he himself


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monasticlinesbyestablishingmathastopropagateSanatanaDharmaandtheAdvaita tradition.Tradition establishes the major mathas at Sringeri, Kanci,Dwaraka,PuriandBadrinath.(PartIIChapterVPage109).

(18) The Kalyan, a premier Hindi periodical published by the Gita Press,Gorakhpur(U.P.)issueda special number calledTirthank, inJanuary1957. Inthis issue, the name of the monastic institutions established by Sankara arementionedundertwocategories. UnderthecategorynamedasSankaracaryadvarasthapitapradhanapithas.TheKanciKamakotiPithaiscitedasoneoftheimportantinstitutionsfoundedbySankara.

(19)TheGuhyasahasranama(94)speaksofSankaracaryaspresidingovertheKamakotiPitha.

(20) IntheAnnual ReportoftheArchealogical Department ofMysorefortheyear1928,(page16)underthetitleTheSringeriMathanditsGurus,areviewoftheSringeriGuruvamsakavyatheSankaracaryaMathatKanciisnotedasoneofthefiveinstitutionsestablishedbySankaracarya.

APPENDIX II

Extracts from Madras University Historical Series No. 15

GeneralEditor-ProfessorK.A.NILAKANTASASTRIAdministrationandsocialLifeunderVijayanagar1040ByT.V.MAHALINGAM,B.A.(Hons.)

Another matha was originally located at Kanci and was known as theKamakotiPitha,inhonouroftheGoddessatKanci. Thisalsoappearstohavebeenruledbyaregularsuccessionofpontificialheads.

Inscriptionalrecords showthatthismathawas atKanci atleast inthirteenthcentury,for arecord ofVijayagandagopala,theTeleguCodaKing,registersagrant to the matha atthe place in1293 A.D. From the very beginning of itsfoundation the matha appears to have been presided over by a regularsuccession of pontiffs. Among them mention maybe made of Vyasacala,Candracuda, Sadasivendra,Paramasivendrathe guru of Sadasiva Brahman ofNerur, and Atmabodhendra at whose instance Sadasiva Brahman composed


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theGururatnamalaandNamaBodhendra.AccordingtoalistoftheacharyaofthismathapublishedbyT.S.NarayanaSastri,the55thAcaryaintheapostoliclinewasoneCandracudendrawhopresidedoveritbetween1506and1512.Andthenext wasone Sadasivendra who presided over it between 1512 and1538.

Accordingtotwocopperplatesof1507(?)ViraNarasimhamadetwograntsofvillages to one Mahadeva Sarasvati, the then presiding pontiff of the KanciKamakotiPitha. IN1522 A.D.KrsnadevaRayamade agrantoftwovillagestoCandracuda Sarasvati,the disciple of Mahadeva Sarasvati. (E.I.xiii,pp,122-132).HeiscalledSivacetas(havinghisminddevotedtoSiva).Yatiraja(princeamongascetics)and Dhimat (Philosopher). He is also said to have been a greatexpounderofthedoctrine ofMaya. Inthelightofthedateofthisinscriptionand of the two others of Vira Narasimha and the names ofthe pontiffs, wehavetodoubtthevalueofthechronologyofNarayanasastrislist.

(AccordingtoGuruparamparastava,Purananada, thegurusguruofCanderasekhara,wentonapilgrimagetoNepal. BuhlermentionsanepigraphwhichreferstothefactthatasvamiofSouthIndianamedSomasekharanandawenttoNepalin1503A.D.AninscriptionalevidencefromNepalcorroboratesthetraditioncontainedintheGuruparamparaoftheSankaracaryamath;therecan be no denying the fact that a svami of the math went to NepalS.V.Venkatesvaraobservesthatthesvamireferredtomustbeeitherthedoneofourgrant(Candrasekhara)orhisgurusguru,PuranandaaliasCandracuda.

But since Buhler gives the date of the Svamis visit to Nepal and since thedoneeoftheabove grant(Candrasekhara)couldhavebeenlivingathattimeastheprospectivesuccessortothepontificialthrone,wecansaythatitwashethat went to Nepal for the names Somesekhara and Candrasekhara aresynonyms. In the face of such clear evidence we need not suppose thatPurnandamighthavegonetoNepal.SeeE.I.xiipp.125ff.)

CandracudaSarasvatiorCandrasekharaSarasvatiwassucceeded,inapostolic line, bySadasivaSarasvati. He issaid tohave beenthe disciple ofCandrasekharaSarasvati,apparentlyanothername ofCandracuda whowasaParamahamsaandParivrajakacarya.ThissuccessioniscorroboratedbythelistofNarayanaSastrialso.SadasivawastherecipientofagrantofthevillageofUdayambakkamintheChinglepetdistrictbyKrsnadevaRayain1528A.D.

ThusheappearstohavesucceededCandrasekharaSarasvatibetween1522 and1528A.D;butwearenotabletoknowtheexactdate. Hecompiled


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the Punyaslokamanjari containing the succession list of the pontiffs of theKamakotiPitha.

Butsome time laterthismantha seemstohave beenshiftedto

Gajaranyaksetram or Jambukesvaram near Trichinopoly. In 1708 A.D. VijayaRanga Cokkanatha Nayaka of Madura made a grant of land for maintainingworship and for feeding Brahmans inthe Sankaracarya matha at the place.The copperplate inscriptionstatesthat this mathawaslocated inthestreetcalledPonvasikondanStreet,atthevillageandhadbeeninthePossessionofthepontifffromveryearlytimes. Butthebuildingwhichispointedoutastheoriginal one where the matha was located does not appear to be correctaccordingtotheGovernmentepigraphist.Thisapartwedonotknowwhyandwhen the matha was transferred to Tanjore on account of the fact the

Conjeevaram was attacked frequently by the muhammadans. Hence it wasshiftedtoKumbakonam.

APPENDIX -III

Some References to Sankaracarya Inscriptions

(1) A hamlet byname Surittil,on the borderof Kudiyantandalam (knownatpresentasKundiyantandalam)situatedabout9milesoffkanci,isreferredtoas

SankaracaryapuramaliasSuruttilinaninscriptiononthewestwalloftherock,in the Varadarajasvami temple at Kanchipuram. (Vide Annual Report onEpigraphy1919-20No.443of1919).

N.B.AcopperplateinscriptionofViraNarasimhaDeva,KingofVijayanagar,ofSaka year 1428 (1507A.D.)mentionsthe grantof Kudiyantandalam of theKacchinadu, to Mahadeva Sarasvati (of Kanci Sankjaracarya Matha). In thecoppet plate it is stated that Kudiyantandalam is on the west of Surittilvillage.

(2)WilliamTaylorgivesashortsummaryofacopperplateinscriptionofVisnuKanci,inwhichthenameofSankaracaryaappearsamongothersas one whohadsomethingtodowiththetempleofSriVaradaraja(VideVolumeIIIpages340,341, of the Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts relating to Mackenziescollections).


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(3) There isa copper plate inscription of 1111A.D.recording a grant of thevillage of Ambikapuram toanAcarya ofthe Kanci Sankaracarya Math bytheAndhraColarulerVijayagandaGopala.ItistobenotedthatthoughthegrantistoanAcaryawholivedlongafterSriSankaracarya,thedoneisreferredtoonly

asSankaracaryaGuruandnotbytheactualnameoftheSwami.

Thepertinentlinesofthecopperplatearegivenbelow:

shri shankaracharya and his connection with kanchipuram

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