Facts about Adi Guru Shankaracharya, whose statue Modi Unveiled in Kedarnath

Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 12-foot and 35 tons weighing statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya at Kedarnath on Friday. As a part of his visit to the Himalayan shrine, he inaugurated the rebuilt Samadhi of the great eighth-century philosopher. It is believed that the Samadi was damaged during the devastating 2013 Uttarakhand floods. […]

Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 12-foot and 35 tons weighing statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya at Kedarnath on Friday. As a part of his visit to the Himalayan shrine, he inaugurated the rebuilt Samadhi of the great eighth-century philosopher. It is believed that the Samadi was damaged during the devastating 2013 Uttarakhand floods. The work of the statue had begun in 2019 and was made by a resident of Mysuru named Arun Yogiraj.

Speaking on the occasion Modi said, “There was a time when spirituality and religion were believed to be associated only with stereotypes. But, Indian philosophy talks about human welfare, sees life in a holistic manner. Adi Shankaracharya worked to make society aware of this truth,”

---

Who is Adi Shankaracharya?

Shankara, before he was known as a great teacher was born in a devout Nambudiri Brahman family in a village called Kaladi in Kerala. He was a great philosopher who is known for consolidating the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.

Established four Mathas

To unify the scattered and diverse group of Saanyasis, Shankaracharya during his travels across the country established four mathas also called ashramas in about 700 AD in different corners of India. The four mathas in the present day are located at Badrikashram in the north, Sringeri in the south, Puri in the east, Dwaraka in the west.

Explained the major differences between Hinduism and Buddhism

Shankaracharya was the one who gave a deep insight into how Buddhism shares differences with Hinduism. He stated the fact that Hinduism supports and embraces the concept of Atman (soul or self is present) whereas Buddhism believes in the concept of (no human self or soul).

When is Adi Shankaracharya Jayanti Celebrated?

The birth anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya is observed as Adi Shankaracharya Jayanthi and celebrated on May 17. However, there are many doubts regarding his birth year.

---

Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .

---