Historical Period8c CE
788–820 CE (Ādi Śaṅkara's life); temple established 9th–10th c.; pilgrimage 11th–21st c.
📷 Raja Ravi Varma · Public domain · source
Deities
Ādi Śaṅkara at Kaladi
Ādi Śaṅkara — 8th c. founder of Advaita Vedānta
Ādi Śaṅkara — 8th c. founder of Advaita Vedānta
Ādi Śaṅkarācārya (ca. 788–820 CE) — the 8th c. Kerala-born polymath who re-established Advaita Vedānta and founded the 4 Śaṅkara mutts (Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri, Badari). Born at Kaladi in Kerala to a Nambudiri Brahmin family. The river Pūrṇā (Periyar) in Kaladi, where his mother bathed, is the site of the Śaṅkara temple and samādhi. His 3 major commentaries (on Brahma-sūtra, Bhagavad-gītā, Upaniṣads), 100+ hymns, and philosophical treatises revolutionized Hindu philosophy. He walked the entire sub-continent twice, engaging in public debates that established the supremacy of Advaita.
Brahman Satyam Jagan Mithyā Jīvo Brahmaiva Na Aparaḥ
Every tradition in India — textual, oral, tribal, regional, syncretic — deserves first-person recognition. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.
