Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham


Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Moolamnaya Sarvagnya Peetham, is a Hindu religious center of Vedic learning, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near the Kamakshi Amman Temple of the Shaktism tradition, which also contains a shrine dedicated to the alleged final resting place of the Advaita Vedanta teacher Adi Shankara.
The matha-tradition attributes its founding to Adi Shankara, but this and the reliability of the matha's succession list has been questioned. According to the Sri Kanchi math tradition, the matha was founded at Kanchipuram, and shifted south to the temple city of Kumbakonam in the mid-18th century due to the on-going wars, when there was warfare in the region, and returned to Kanchipuram in the 19th century.
Historically, the Kanchi Math was established as the Kumbakonam Mutt in 1821 as a branch of the Sringeri Mutt, and became involved with the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram in 1839, "set up shop in Kanchipuram at the turn of the last century."
The peetham gained a good reputation under the leadership of Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati VIII, who was regarded as an avatara purusha, a realised seer. The peetham lost authority and standing under the leadership of Sri Jayendra Saraswati, who favoured an outreach to a broader audience beyond the Brahmins, but was implicated and later given a clean chit by the courts in a murder-trial. He was succeeded in February 2018 by Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal.

Establishment

Traditional accounts

The founding of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam is traditionally attributed by its adherents to Adi Shankara. According to the Kanchi matha's tradition, Adi Shankara was born in 509 BCE and died in 477 BCE, and founded Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in 482 BCE. The chronology stated in Kanchi matha texts recognizes five major Shankaras: Adi, Kripa, Ujjvala, Muka and Abhinava. According to the Kanchi matha tradition, it is "Abhinava Shankara" that western scholarship recognizes as the Advaita scholar Adi Shankara.
According to the Sri Kanchi matha documents, the matha relocated completely to Kumbakonam in the mid-18th century to escape wars and persecution, returning to Kanchi in the 19th century. According to Jonathan Bader and other scholars, the monastic tradition gives "fear of Muslim atrocities" from Nawab of Arcot, Mysore's Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan as the reason, but the details remain unclear.
According to T. A. Gopinatha Rao, copperplate inscriptions show that the matha was located at Kanchipuram until 1686 CE, and relocated to Kumbakonam, Tanjore, in the 18th century. Sharma disputes Rao's interpretations of the copper plates, arguing that the dating is dubious, and that most plates do not refer to Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at all. According to Rao, based on the oldest record found in the respective mathas, Kanchipuram matha may be older than Sringeri Pitham.

Disputed chronology

The foundation-story of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, and it's chronology of Shankaracharyas, is widely disputed. Sringeri matha rejects the claims of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, and does not count it among the mathas established by Shankara.
Modern scholarship places Shankara in the 8th century CE, and the story of the four cardinal mathas founded by Shankara dates from the 16th century, putting in question the founding stories of all those mathas, though Christopher Fuller and David Smith regard the Kanchi Shankaracharyas as his "spiritual descendants." According to Sunil, the history of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham has been rewritten in the 20th century, when Chandrashekharendra Saraswati was the Paramacharya.

Historical account

Historically, the Kanchi Math was established as the Kumbakonam Mutt in 1821 by the Maratha king of Tanjore, Serfoji II Bhonsle, as a branch of the Sringeri Mutt. It became an apostate schismatic institution in 1839 when the Kumbakonam Mutt applied for permission to the English Collector of Arcot to perform the "kumbhabhishekham" of the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram. In 1842, the East India Company headquartered at Fort William, Calcutta appointed the head of the mutt as the sole trustee of the Kamakshi temple, despite the protests of the traditional priests of the Kamakshi temple, which are well documented and preserved. Mohan Guruswamy recalls,

20th-21st century

Tensions in the temple leadership

Under the leadership of Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati VIII, who was regarded as an avatara purusha, a realised seer, the peetham gained a significant role as a traditional center of religious studies, focusing on male Brahmin students.
His successor Sri Jayendra Saraswati was appointed as successor in 1954, and succeeded him at 3 January 1994, staying in office until his death at 28 February 2018. Jayendra favoured an outreach to a broader audience beyond the Brahmins, propagating Hindu-values and lifestyle in general, leading to tensions between Chandrashekharendra and Jayendra. Due to these tensions, in August 1987 Jayendra disappeared for a couple of days, apparently withdrawing from the temple leadership, but returning just a couple of days later and eventually succeeding Chandrashekharendra Saraswati. Jayendra broadened the scope of the peetham, supporting "schools, colleges, hospitals, and rural programmes." He opposed Christian conversion efforts by active oureach toward the poor and down-throdden, visiting slums and poor neighborhoods. Jayendra was also politically involved, maintaining contacts with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindu Parishad">Hinduism">Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Sankararaman murder case (2004)

In 2004, Jayendra Saraswathi and his junior Vijayendra Saraswati were arrested in connection with the Sankararaman murder case on Diwali day. The court said that the complainant failed to support the prosecution and he was given bail. The trial went on till 2013 when he was acquitted by the court, but the murder trial negatively impacted both his standing and his role in society, and the image and influence the Kanchi Mutt.

Religious center

Vedic studies

The matha offers Vedic studies to male Brahmin students in a number of pathasalas. Under the leadership of Jayendra Saraswati, the peetham took a more liberal stance, also reaching out to a non-Brahmin audience.

Cultural preservation

The Kanchi monastery, along with other monasteries across India, has been an important preserver and source of historic palm leaf manuscripts.

Chronological list of Shankaracharyas

According to the Peetham, the chronological list of Guru Paramapara of the matham is follows:
  1. Sri Adi Shankaracharya
  2. Sri Sureshwaracharya
  3. Sri Sarvajnatmanendra Saraswati
  4. Sri Satyabodhendra Saraswati
  5. Sri Jnanandendra Saraswati
  6. Sri Shuddhanandendra Saraswati
  7. Sri Anandaghanendra Saraswati
  8. Sri Kaivalyananda Yogendra Saraswati
  9. Sri Kripashankarendra Saraswati
  10. Sri Sureshwara Saraswati
  11. Sri Shivananda Chidghanendra Saraswati
  12. Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati I
  13. Sri Satchidghanendra Saraswati
  14. Sri Vidyaghanendra Saraswati
  15. Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati
  16. Sri Ujjwala Shankarendra Saraswati
  17. Sri Sadashivendra Saraswati
  18. Sri Shankarananda Saraswati
  19. Sri Martanda Vidyaghanendra Saraswati
  20. Sri Mukhashankarendra Saraswati
  21. Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati II
  22. Sri Bodhendra Saraswati I
  23. Sri Satchisukhendra Saraswati
  24. Sri Chitsukhendra Saraswati
  25. Sri Satchidanandaghanendra Saraswati
  26. Sri Prajnaghanendra Saraswati
  27. Sri Chidvilasendra Saraswati
  28. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati I
  29. Sri Purnabhodhendra Saraswati
  30. Sri Bhodhendra Saraswati II
  31. Sri Brahmanandaghanendra Saraswati
  32. Sri Chidanandaghanendra Saraswati
  33. Sri Satchidananda Saraswati
  34. Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati III
  35. Sri Chitsukhendra Saraswati
  36. Sri Chitsukhanandendra Saraswati
  37. Sri Vidyaghanendra Saraswati III
  38. Sri Abhinava Shankarendra Saraswati
  39. Sri Satchidvilasendra Saraswati
  40. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati II
  41. Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati II
  42. Sri Brahmanandaghanendra Saraswati
  43. Sri Anandaghanendra Saraswati
  44. Sri Purnabhodhendra Saraswati II
  45. Sri Paramashivendra Saraswati I
  46. Sri Chandranandabhodhendra Saraswati
  47. Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati IV
  48. Sri Advaitanandabodhendra Saraswati
  49. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati III
  50. Sri Chandrachudendra Saraswati I
  51. Sri Vidyatirthendra Saraswati
  52. Sri Shankaranandendra Saraswati
  53. Purnananda Sadashivendra Saraswati
  54. Vyasachala Mahadevendra Saraswati
  55. Chandrachudendra Saraswati II
  56. Sri Sarvajna Sadashivabodhendra Saraswati
  57. Sri Paramashivendra Saraswati II
  58. Atmabodhendra Saraswati
  59. Bodhendra Saraswati II
  60. Sri Advaitatma Prakashendra Saraswati
  61. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati IV
  62. Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati V
  63. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati V
  64. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VI
  65. Sudarshana Mahadevendra Saraswati
  66. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VII
  67. Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati V
  68. Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati VIII
  69. Sri Jayendra Saraswati
  70. Sri Vijayendra Saraswati
  71. Sri Satya Chandrashekharendra Saraswati

Sankararaman murder case

In 2004, Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal and his junior Vijayendra Saraswati were arrested in connection with the Sankararaman murder case on Diwali day. The court said that the complainant failed to support the prosecution and he was given bail. The trial went on till 2013 when he was acquitted by the court.