Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham To Anoint 71st Shankaracharya On Akshaya Tritiya

Mumbai: The 70th Peetadhipati, or head, of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamy will give Sanyasa Deeksha to Sri Duddu Satya Venkata Surya Subrahmanya Ganesha Sharma Dravid, on Akshaya Tritiya day on April 30, thus anointing him as the 71st head of the one of the highest seats in Hinduism.

According to the tradition of the Kanchi Peetham, a disciple who has formally undergone monastic, or sanyasa,  initiation by the sitting Peethadhipati is chosen as his successor.

The Kanchi Peetham said that Dravid, 24, is a Rigveda scholar from the Annavaram temple, Andhra Pradesh. He served at Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam, Basara, Nirmal District, Telangana. He had the blessings of Shankaracharya Swamigal of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam right from his initiation into Vedic studies in 2006. 

In addition to the Rigveda, Dravid has also completed the Yajurveda, Samaveda, Shadangas, Dashopanishat, and has been pursuing Shastric studies. His elevation to one of the highest seats in Hinduism will coincide with the 2,534th birth anniversary of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, who established Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam at Kanchipuram in 482 BCE.

About Shankaracharya

"Shankaracharya, born in Kalady, Kerala, in 509 BCE, revived Hindu Sanatana. There was a degeneration of rituals and philosophies, and he re-established Advaita philosophy, the idea that man and the rest of creation are one with God. He laid out rituals still followed at temples like Guruvayur Sri Krishna," said B Shridhar from the Shankara Matham at Marunga, Mumbai.

As a spiritual leader, guide, and interpreter of Hindu scriptures, Shankaracharya's views on religious texts and dharma. The inheritor of a tradition established by Shankaracharya, Dravid will lead a 2500-year-old institution. "It is an unbroken lineage as each Shankaracharya has been identified by name, age, and date of samadhi," added Shridhar.

The Shankara Matham in Mumbai has not scheduled any special rituals or functions to mark the initiation of the next spiritual head. Devotees will watch the live telecast of the ceremony in Kanchipuram on Kamakoti TV starting Wednesday morning.