“We cannot do better than crown our arguments with the considered verdict of Mahamahopadhyaya Madhava Sastri Bhandari, of the Punjab Oriental University, who writes: –
“Such being the case, the Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha is unquestionably the most ancient, presided over by the Bhagavatpada himself, held in high esteem by Suresvaracharya and others, worthy of being followed by all Sisyas, and foremost in importance.”
(The Traditional Age of Sri Sankaracharya and The Mathas by A.Nataraja Aiyer and S.Lakshminarayana Sastri)
” It is idle for us to attempt to fix the exact period of time when the Master blessed the earth with his presence Scholars who have specialised in the ransacking of old records and re-building the history of the land are of varied opinion and the dates suggested by them range from 509 B C. to 788 A D. that is, for a period of nearly thirteen hundred years.
It may be mentioned however that the Sringeri tradition gives a date between these two limits and that date, namely 44 B. C, is probably neater the truth if we accept the authority of Bhaskararaya, the famous commentator of the Lalita Sahasranama Stotra.
If the Vikramarka Saka is referred to in this stanza, the date given for the birth of Sri Sankara is about 49 B. C.”
(SRI SRINGERI MUTT By R. KRISHNASWAMY AIYAR, M.A, B. L., Advocate, Tennevally – The Journal of the Sri Sankara gurukulam Srirangam, Vol. IV, No. 13.)
ADI SANKARA-AND-COURTS : SRI KAMAKOTI PEETAM AND SRI SRINGERI PEETAM AS CO-RESPONDENTS IN ONE CASE
By S.Balasubramanian, Advocate, Madras.
“…. Thus, it can be seen from Judicial pronouncements and other records mentioned above that it is not possible to have more than one view, namely, that Sri Adi Sankara had established the present Sri Kamakoti Peetam at Kanchipuram”.
( V.G.Ramachandran- Ancient India, General Editor.Dr.N.Mahalingam, Published by International Society for the Investigation of Ancient Civilization, Chennai-32, Revised Edition-1998)
The Date of Sankara Bhagavadpada has been needlessly drawn into controversy. This is partly due to the unwholesome desire of western scholars to demote Indian Chronology so as to line it up and subordinate it to the Chronology of Greece and partly due to the confusion in the History of India written by the Western historians. Sankara’s Horoscope as given by Citsukhacharya is given below. This is in accordance with what is recorded in the 32nd prakara of his Brihat-Sankara-Vijaya.
(Date of Sankara By V.G.Ramachandran, Published by International Society for the Investigation of Ancient Civilizations, Madras – General Editor: Dr.N.Mahalingam, 1985)
” All the Sankarite Institutions in the Mysore state and Ceded Districts have the epithet “tungabhadra -tiravasi” and ” Karnataka-simhasana- pratisthapanacarya” in the preamble to epistles being issued, that is, Srimukhas.
The expression, “Karnataka-simhasana- pratisthapanacārya” refers to Vidyaranya the reputed founder of Vijayanagara Empire. In the seals of most of these institutions the name of Vidyāśankara is also embossed.
The epithets of the śrimukhams of all the institutions usually allude to the founders of the respective institutions.
And a reference to Vidyāranya stabilizing the Virūpākṣa matha and the on the banks of the river Tungabhadrā in a hymn styled Puspagiri mathāmnaya which is quoted in the Sānkaramaṭha-tattva-prakāsika – sangraha published by the great Telugu Poet, Kokundrum Venkataratnam Pantulu gāru.
He states that Vidyāraṇya came from Kañcipuram to Hampi or Virupakṣa and wrought many miracles. And after his life work in that region he returned to Kāñcipuram with great pomp and splendour. 1.
Thus Kanci has been connected with the propagation of dharma through the Sankarite Institutions in the Andhra and Karnataka regions.”
Sri Vidyanya Swami’s visit from Kanchi to Hampi Virupaksha Kshetra, establishment of Matha and His samadhi at Kanchi.
(Dr.V.A.Devasenapati, Director, Centre for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Univerity of Madras – KAMAKOTTAM, NAYANMARS AND ADI SANKARA, Published By The Institute of Traditional Cultures, University Buildings, Madras, 1975. P. 50 &51)
