PRECEPTORS OF ADVAITHAM PART 151024 CONTD KR IRS
KR There were many criticisms from a mutt which does not belong to
Adishankara originals, tjat Kanchi mutt is not that of Adi Shankara
sarvagna peetam at all. Evidences are below.
SRI KAMAKOTI PITHA OF SRI SANKARACHARYA
*By *N. Ramesan M.A., I.A.S.
Kāñchī, the famous city of temples, known from times immemorial as
one of the seven *Mokṣapuris* of India, is intimately connected with the
life and works of the great Advaitic teacher Śrī Śaṅkara. Almost all the
works which deal with the life and doings of Śrī Śaṅkara, called
Śaṅkara-vijayas, refer to Śrī Śaṅkara’s consecrating Śrī Kāmākṣī and
Śrīchakra in Kāñchīpuram. Thus, the Mādhavīya *Śaṅkara-vijaya* in chapter
15 says that Śrī Śaṅkara reached Kāñchī after worshipping Rāmanātha at
Rāmeśvaram. The Ānandagiri *Śaṅkara-vijaya,* which is recognised by
orientalists as the authentic biography of Śrī Śaṅkara, refers to Śaṅkara’s
visit to Kāñchīpuram, the establishment of his Maṭha there, his giving the
Yogaliṅga to Śrī śureśvara as well as his *siddhi* at Kāñchī itself. The
Chidvilāsīya *Śaṅkara-vijaya* says that Śrī Śaṅkara v *i* sited Kāñchī and
himself drew and consecrated the *Śrīchakra* with his own hand in the
temple and ascended the Sarvajñapīṭha at Kāñchī after satisfying the
various opponents. These traditions have continued in other works like
the *Patañjalicharita
by* Rāmabhadra and the *Śaṅkarābhyudaya* by Rājachūḍāmaṇi Dīkṣita. The
great Itīhāsa *Śiva-rahasya* in the chapter dealing with the life of Śrī
Śaṅkara refers to Kāñchī as Śaṅkara’s final place of resort. These literary
evidences tend to prove that Śrī Śaṅkara established his monastery at
Kāñchīpuram, ascended the Sarvajñapīṭha there also attained his *siddhi* there.
This Maṭha of Śaṅkara which has been adorned in a continuous line by the
great Ācihāryas of Śrī Kañchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha is still serving as a beacon
light for the spiritual guidance of all devotees who turn to it with
devotion and sincerity.
Kāñchīpuram which is thus the seat of the Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha
from times immemorial, is also well known to us from other sources.
Literary references to Kāñchī can be traced back to the centuries before
Christ, the earliest being that made by Patañjali (C 150 B.C.) in his
*Mahābhāṣya.* The Chinese records mention about an embassy sent from China
to Kāñchī (Houang. Techi) in the 2nd Century B.C. The *Saṅgam* age
literature of the Tamils which also belongs to the same period furnishes us
glimpses of the city of Kāñchī or Kacchi. Tradition has it that Karikāla
Choḻa, one of the illustrious rulers of *Saṅgam* period enlarged and
beautified this town. Toṇḍaimān Ilandiraiyan,[1]
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the
famous contemporary of Karikāla, who was also a poet of repute is credited
with the excavation of a big tank at Tenneri or Tinyaneri which is about 14
miles to the north-east of Kāñchī.[2]
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The
Perumpānātruppaḍai of Rudran Kannanar describes Kāñchī as a well planned
and strongly fortified city with high ramparts, King’s palaces, broad
streets, busy bazaars, and numerous public buildings built of burnt brick.
A strong and invincible army always guarded the palace in which
Ilandiraiyan the King lived. Festivals were celebrated with much pomp when
large numbers of people flocked at the city and worshipped at the temples.
A temple of the God “who sleeps on a serpent couch” is specially mentioned
by the author.[3]
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*Maṇimekhalai,* a Buddhist epic written by a Śāttanār of Madurai, a
Kulavaṇigan or grain merchant, gives us a graphic description of Kāñchī, in
the *post-saṅgam* period (e. 5th Century A.D.). The city was said to be
then afflicted by a famine and Maṇimekhalai went to the town to offer
relief to the affected.[4]
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She
is said to have visited the Buddhist Chaitya built by Iḻankiḻḻli, the
brother of Chola Toṇḍukalarkiḻḻi, and stayed in the Dharma-davana ārāma
located in the south-west of the city.
The history of the Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha is thus closely
connected with the history of Kāñchīpuram itself since the Pīṭha was
established there from the times of Śrī Śaṅkara. Apart from the literary
evidences quoted above, the Maṭha itself is preserving a good number of
copper-plate inscriptions which give us considerable insight into the
antiquity of the Maṭha in historical times. The evidence of these copper
plate grants is also supported by stone-epigraphs which we find in places
like Kāñchīpuram, Ambi, etc. These are further supplemented by the evidence
of contemporary records of the past 200 or 250 years in several archives
like the Sarasvatī Mahal Library, the Madras Central Record Office, etc.
The most ancient of all the copper plate epigraphs of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha is
that of the Telugu Choḻa King, Śrī Vijaya Gaṇḍa Gopāla. (*Vide* p. 448).
The grant purports to record the grant of the village Ambikāpuram by Śrī
Vijaya Gaṇḍa Gopāla to Śrī Śaṅkarāya Guru of the Maṭha situated to the west
of Śrī Hastiśailanātha for the purpose of feeding 108 Brahmins every day.
The details of the date of the grant are given, as cyclic year Khara, the
Sun being in Karkaṭaka Rāśi, the *tithi* being Daśamī of Śukla Pakṣa,
Anurādha Nakṣatra, and the week day being Monday. This has been edited by
me elsewhere and on the basis of the astronomical evidence given above, it
has been shown that the date of the grant corresponds only to 17th July
1111 A.D. The boundaries of the village Ambikāpuram which was then granted
are given in the grant as Gridhrapura to the west, Kāñchīpuram to the east,
Kaidaduppur to the south, and Śīrnanni to the north. The village is said to
be situated to the north of the river Vegavatī. These villages are still
existing near Kāñchīpuram. Ambikāpuram is known today as Ambi and to its
south is a village Kadirpur which can be identified with Kaidaduppur, to
the north is a village Śirunai which can be identified with the village
Śīrnaṇni. This is the earliest copper plate grant of the Maṭha and it
belongs to the 12th century A.D.
This grant is also referred to in another stone epigraph on one of the
walls of the temple in Ambi. It is of the time of Śrī Kṛṣṇadeva Rāya of
Vijayanagara empire and signed by Chandraśekhara Sarasvatī. This epigraph
is of Śāka year 1436 (or 1514 A.D.), in the cyclic year Bhava, 13th *tithi* of
Adi month. This epigraph has also been edited by me elsewhere. In this, the
village Ambi is referred to as “Nammuḍaiya Maḍappuram Ambi”. The word
“Madappuram” refers to villages given as grants to Maṭhas only. Hence this
stone epigraph also gives collateral evidence that the village Ambi granted
in the 12th century A.D. continued to be in the possession of the Maṭha
till the 16th century A.D. since it is referred to as Maḍappuram in one of
the stone epigraphs of the village itself. It is pertinent to note that the
Maṭha owns Inam lands in the village Ambi even now. This clearly shows the
authenticity of the grant and the fact that the village has been in
possession of the Maṭha for nearly 800 years ever since it was granted by
Śrī Vijaya Gaṇḍa Gopāla Deva in the 12th century A.D.
There are several copper plate grants in possession of the Śrī
Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha which gives us an insight into the influence of the
Maṭha over the religious and spiritual life of the people during the course
of the centuries. Some important ones are given here.
*(1) In 1507 A.D. or Śāka 1429*, Śrī Vīranarasiṃha Deva Mahārāja, the elder
brother of the famous Kṛṣṇadeva Rāya of Vijayanagara empire, had granted to
Śrī Mahādeva Sarasvatī, the disciple of Śrī Sadāśiva Sarasvatī a village
called Kuṇḍiyāntaṇḍalam in the Valakuru Śīmā of the Padaivīḍu Rājya.
(*Vide* pp.
449-450). A hamlet Śuruttial which lies on the border of Kuṇḍiyāntaṇḍalam
is referred to as Śaṅkarāchāryapuram in an inscription in the
Varadarājasvāmi temple at Kāñchīpuram.[5]
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*(2) Śrī Vijayaranga Chokkanātha*, the Nāyak King of Madurā granted in 1708
A.D., cyclic year Vikṛti, some land situated in a number of places on the
banks of the Akhaṇḍa Kāverī and Coleroon at the instance of the Svāmī of
the Sāradā Maṭha for the maintenance of the feeding of Brahmins in the
Maṭha at Gajāraṇya Kṣetra (Tiruvānaikkoil) in the island of Śrīraṅgam. (
*Vide* pp. 451-452).
*(3) The last grant *is an exceedingly interesting one made by the Qutub
Ṣāhi Muslim king, Tānā Ṣāh, issued on the first day of the month of Shawal
of Hijri year 1088. The day of the grant is found to correspond to 17th
November 1677 A.D. (*Vide* pp. 453-454). The grant is in Telugu letters.
Half of it is in Persian and the other half in Sanskrit language. A perusal
of the other Firmans of the Qutub Ṣāhi King, Tana Ṣāh available in the
Central Record Office, Hyderabad, shows that this method of using local
scripts and several languages was quite common with this king. Tānā Ṣāh was
a remarkably broadminded ruler and the fact that he made a grant to the
Āchārya of the Śrī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha proves the influence and the high esteem
in which the Maṭha was held by even kings of an alien faith in those days.
4 Coming now to the past 200 or 250 years, we have a wealth of deta *i* ls
about the Maṭha and its history, preserved in the Moḍi records of the
Madras Central Records office, the Sarasvatī Mahal Library and the archives
of the Maṭha itself. Tradition has it that during the Carnatic wars on
account of disturbed conditions, the Maṭha was transferred from Kāñchīpuram
to Tanjavur and then later from Tañjāvūr to Kumbhakoṇam. The Mackenzie
Manuscripts throw light as regards the inscriptions relating to Śrī
Kāmakoṭi Maṭha.
5 The portion relating to Śrī Śaṅkaracharya of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha,
Kumbhakoṇam, is found on page cclxxiii and cclxiv (263 & 264) of the second
volume of Mackenzie’s collection published by Wilson in 1828. It is
extracted below:
6 Page CCLXIII: Report of Babu Rao, Maratta Translator to Col. C.
Mackenzie, of his journey to Pondicherri, Karaical etc., along the coast
for the purpose of collecting historical information, coins etc., from the
24th December, 1816 to 27th May, 1817.
7 April 8th and 9th, 1817: Proceeding by way of Nachargudi I
arrived at Kumbhakoṇam, collecting some coins thereof from the shroffs.
10th: I visited the chief priest of Sankarachari, expending four rupees on
fruit etc., to introduce myself, and requested him to give me a copy of the
copper inscription he had in his Matham, but some of the Karyasthalu (or
managers of the Matham) directly denied that there were any inscriptions on
copper-plate, being afraid of losing their original documents which they
had saved through many years from destruction of different wars. I
encouraged them much assuring them that I would take no original but only
wanted a copy; they answered that if I assured them only a copy was to be
taken, and that I would give them a recommendation to my master regarding
their discontinued Jagirs, and obtain their restoration of any of the
discontinued villages, that he would give me a particular account of the
Chola, Chera and Pandian-together with that of the Rajas of Bijanagur as he
was the Guru of all the Rajas. I accordingly gave them recommendatory
letter. Then confiding in my assertions that I had only come to copy
inscriptions, and collect historical information he was much pleased and
promised to get me particular information of the Rajas that had ruled from
the commencement of the Kali Yugam. He took me into his agraharam and
showed me about 125 copper sasanams each contained in five or six copper
plates, he gave a copy of two, presented me with a piece of cloth worth 5
rupees and gave me leave promising me to get me a particular account of the
Chola Rajas together with several coins if I recommended him personally to
my master at Madras, and got any assistance to recover their discontinued
villages.
8 One of the records is 31/C Item 60 subsection 5 from the Moḍi
records from the Sarasvatī Mahal Library, Tañjāvūr. There is a petition
where a number of people had made a complaint to the then king of Tañiāvūr
about the alleged misdeeds of some Kāryastha of the Maṭha. This interesting
document belongs to the time of Śrī Mahādevendra Sarasvatī who ascended the
Kāmakoti Pīṭha in the year 1851 during the time of the last king Śivāji of
Tañjāvūr; and in this the petitioners in their introductory paragraphs give
a brief but interesting account of the Maṭha, It is stated in the petition
as follows:
“The Mutt of Śrī Śaṅkarāchārya Svamy at Kumbhakoṇam was a small Mutt when
it was at Kāñchīpuram. Raia Prataph Singh brought the Śaṅkarāchārya from
Kāñchī and built a Mutt at Dabir Agraharam, granted Mohini lands, offered
him his first honour and respect, etc., etc.
This clearly shows that the Maṭha was shifted from Kāñchīpuram to Tañjāvūr
during the time of the reign of Rāhā Pratāp Siṃha of Tañjāvūr. We have
fortunately enough of original documentary evidence of the Tañjāvūr Marāṭha
rulers themselves to substantiate the above. {KR: This evidence disproved
the claim of THAT MUTT which said Kumakonam mutt was under them only)
There is an order issued by King Pratāp Siṃa of the Tañjāvūr Marāṭha Rulers
preserved in the Madras Central Record office as Record No. C-37/38-43 of
the Tañjāvūr Palace Records. This is in Hemadipant Moḍi script. In this
order the king had stipulated that the sambhāvanā to the Āchārya of the Śrī
Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha should be paid at some uniform specified rates. The
Āchārya is mentioned as
“*Śrīmad Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakāchārya Śrīmad Pūjya Śaṅkara Bhagavad
Pādāchāryāṇām Adhiṣṭhāne Siṃhāsane Abhiṣiktānām Śrī Chandraśekhara
Sarasvatīnām Pūjyayoḥ Śrīpādayoḥ*”.
In describing the Birudāvalī of the Āchārya the king used the following
phrases:
“*Śrīmad Sakala Bhīmaṇḍalālaṅkāra Trayastriṃśat Koṭidevatā Sevita Śrī
Kāmākṣī Devīsanāta Sākṣātkāra Paramādhiṣṭhāna, Satyavrata Nāmāṅkita, Kāñchī
Divyakṣetre Śāradāmaṭha Sthitānām*”, etc., etc.
>From the above, it will be very clearly seen that the Birudāvalī of the Śrī
Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha which is existing today was used in full in 1748 A.D.
by King Pratāp Siṃha of Tañjāvūr. There are a number of other Moḍi records
of the same king and his successors, which go to reveal the great esteem
and regard in which the Āchāryas were held by Marāṭha Rulers of Tañjāvūr.
The question as to why the Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha shifted its
headquarters from Kāñchīpuram to Kumbhakoṇam arises for consideration. That
the Pīṭha was established by Ādi Śaṅkara at Kāñchīpuram, and that it has
been continuing in an unbroken line of great Āchāryas is clear from the
other evidence already shown here. As to why and when the Pīṭha shifted its
headquarters to Kumbhakoṇam, we have clear evidence in another important
public record. This is about a court case belonging to the times of the
64th Āchārya of the Pīṭha. In the year 1844 A.D., the authorities of Śrī
Śṛṅgeri Maṭha filed a civil suit in the Trichi District Sadar Amin Court
that the right for the Tāṭaṅka Pratiṣṭhā of Goddess Akhilāṇḍeśvari belonged
only to that Maṭha. Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha was made the first defendant
in the above civil suit. The plaint of the plaintiff, the answer of the
first defendant, the reply of the plaintiff for this and the defendant’s
rejoinder, the evidence presented by both sides, and the judgment, are all
now available to us in print. Ultimately the court decided that the
documents submitted on behalf of the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha were not reliable, and
that the oral evidence adduced on their behalf was self-contradictory, and
the suit was dismissed with costs.
9 This suit bears the number O. S. 95/1844. This was taken in appeal
No. 109/1846 and in special appeal petition No. 106/1848 to higher courts
and in both the appeals the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha’s claims were disallowed with
costs to this defendant. This one record is more than enough to give us a
graphic insight into the affairs of Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha about 120
years ago. This record contains an important point of reference. In the
rejoinder of the Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha, para 20, the reasons for the
shift of the Maṭha from Kāñchīpuram to Kumbhakoṇam are clearly given.
The following is a free translation of the relevant passage:
“The plaintiff in column 20 of his reply states that if it is true that the
Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha was established at Kāñchīpuram by Śaṅkara and if Śaṅkara’s
disciple was installed there, the first defendant should still be residing
there only and the reason for his residence at Kumbhakoṇam has not been
stated in the defendant’s answer. It is not stated in any authoritative
text that the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhādhipati must necessarily live only at
Kāñchīpuram and should not take up his residence in any other place. The
first defendant’s disciples and other staff of the Maṭha are still living
in the Kāñchīpuram Maṭha and are still carrying on the daily Pūjā to the
Sarvajña Pīṭha there. The first defendant’s Parama Guru (that is Guru’s
Guru) wanted to reside on the banks of the river Cauvery and hence came to
reside in Kumbhakoṇam. He brought along with him the Yogaliṅga
Chandramaulīśvara Svāmi, consecrated by Sureśvarāchārya. The local Rājāhs
and other disciples afforded every facility and convenience to him and
hence he used to alternate his residence between Kumbhakoṇam and
Kāñchīpuram, etc., etc.”.
The above dearly gives the reason as to why Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha
was shifted to Kumbhakoṇam. This record belongs to the time of the 64th
Āchārya, Śrī Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī V. He was the Lead of the Pīṭha
from 1814 to 1851 A.D. His Parama Guru was the 62nd Āchārya, Śrī
Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī IV who adorned the Pīṭha from 1746 to 1783
A.D. It was this Āchārya, who shifted his headquarters from Kāñchīpuram to
Kumbhakoṇam in order to carry out his meditation and worship on the
peaceful banks of the river Cauvery. He attained *Siddhi* in 1783 A.D. in
Kumbhakoṇam itself. The traditional accounts of the shift of the Maṭha from
Kāñchīpuram to Kumbhakoṇam assign it to the period of King Pratāpa Siṃha,
one of the Tañjāvūr Marāṭha Rulers who was a great devotee of the Āchārya.
This has been clearly corroborated by the Moḍi document of 1750 A.D.
mentioned above. This king ruled between 1740 and 1768 A.D. This
traditional account of the shift of the Maṭha, is fully borne out by the
statement made in the court documents mentioned above. It is thus clear
that in the latter half of the 18th century, the Maṭha was shifted from
Kāñchīpuram to Kumbhakoṇam
10 There is another record of 1783 A.D. which was given by the Rājā
of Śivagaṅga on September 10, in which the village Pulavacheri was granted
to the Maṭha. This grant purports to give the village Pulavacheri in
Śālīvāhana Śakābda 1705, Kalyabda 4884, cyclic year Śobhana, Āvani Māsa,
28th *tithi* , Śuklapakṣa, Bhauma Vāsara and Paurṇimavāsya day, to *Śrī
Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha Siṅghāsa-nābhiṣikta Śrīmad Śrī Mahā Bhagavatpādāchārya Svāmi
Maṭha situated in Śrī Kāñchīpuram Divyakṣetra,* for Svāmi Pūjā,
Dīpārādhana, brahmin feeding, etc., etc. We know from other evidence that
the 63rd Āchārya came to the Pīṭha on 20th January 1783 A.D., and on 10th
September of the same year, the Pulavacheri record dearly establishes that
the Pīṭha was situated in *Kāñchīpuram.* We have already seen that the
*Pīṭha* had been shifted from Kāñchīpuram to Kumbhakoṇam only a few years
ago and hence it can be safely deduced that the 63rd Āchārya, Mahā-devendra
Sarasvatī IV must have come to Kāñchīpuram immediately after ascending the
Pīṭha probably on tour. This also fully bears out the statement mentioned
in the Court document that the Āchāryas used to live alternatively in
Kāñchīpuram and Kumbhakoṇam and that the worship at the Maṭha at
Kāñchīpuram was being continued by the disciples, since only a few years
after the shift of the Maṭha, the grant clearly mentions that the
Maṭha was *situated
in Kāñchīpuram.*
Though the Maṭha was thus shifted to Kumbhakoṇam in the latter half of the
18th century, still in all the records of the Maṭha the Āchāryas were still
being mentioned only as Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhādhipatis. For example, a
Firman of the Nawab of Arcot of 1792 A.D., mentions that *Śrī Kāmakoṭi
Śaṅkarāchārya* should be given all facilities while going to Tirupati,
river Kṛṣṇa, etc. (*Vide* pp. 455-456).
11 Another grant bearing the seal of Saadat Khan confirms a previous
one by Dawud Khan, the original donor Naib of the Nizam from 1700 to 1708
to *Śaṅkarāchārya* Gossain of the village of Ponnambalam (Poonai) in the
Karṇāṭaka Taluk of Hyderabad, measuring 250 chakras of dry land free of
taxes. This document is dated 6 Zilhijja in the 6th year of the reign of
the Emperor Mohamed Shah, 5th August 1725 A.D. There is a stone epigraph in
the grantha script of the 63rd Āchārya, Śrī Mahādevendra Sarasvatī in the
Ādi Kumbheśvara Svāmī temple in Kumbhakoṇam. Here also, the Āchārya is
referred to as:
*śrī āchāryasvāmibhiḥ nirmita kānchīpīṭhābhiṣi*[*kta*]
*śrī mahādevendrayati ubhayam*
Another stone epigraph in Grantha characters of the same Āchārya is found
in that temple itself which is as follows:
“*Salivahana Sakabdam 1722, Dunmati varṣam, Kumbhesvarasvami
Somaskanda—murtikku ardhamantapam, mahamantapam mudunnu Sri Kanchi
Kamakotipithadhipati Chandramoulisvara dasabhuta Sri Mahadevayati dharmam.*”
(*Vide* pp. 457-458).
It is significant to note that in a temple epigraph in Kumbhakoṇam itself,
in the beginning of the 19th century, the Āchārya is referred to as Śrī
Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhādhipati only.
During the close of the 18th century Āvaṇi Śṛṅgeri mutt had sent a
Śrīmukham to the then Āchārya of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha. The Avaṇi Śṛṅgeri Mutt
is one of the sub-divisions of the Śāradāpīṭha each having religious
jurisdiction over specified areas of the Karṇāṭaka region; the others being
Śṛṅgeri on the Tuṅgā, Virūpākṣa Śṛṅgeri, Śivagaṅgā Śṛṅgeri and Karavīr
Śṛṅgeri. The Āvaṇi Śṛṅgeri has jurisdiction in the eastern portion of the
Mysore territory bordering Tamil land. During the close of the 18th century
the Mutt began to tour the Tiruchirapalli district on the banks of the
Akhaṇḍa Kaveri and when it was brought to its notice that it has encroached
upon the traditional rights of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhām in that locality, the
mutt forwarded a Śrīmukham to the Kāmakoṭi-pīṭham making amends and
informing the routes they would take without violating the status quo in
the locality. The route includes Pudukotta, Madurai, Ramesvaram, Ramnad,
Sivaganga, Tirunelveli and Travancore The Āchārya of Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha is
referred to in this letter as:
*Śrīmad Śaṅkara bhagavatpādāchāryāṇām adhiṣṭhāne Siṃhāsanābhiṣiktānām Śrī
Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhādhipati Śrī Mahādevendra Sarasvatī.* (*Vide* p. 459).
Two letters were sent by the sovereign of Travancore towards the close of
the 18th Century or the early years of the 19th Century to the pontiff of
Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha. These letters have been written by His Highness
Bāla Rāma Kulaśekhara Varma the then Mahārāja of Travancore and have been
addressed to His Holiness Śrī Mahādevendra Sarasvatī who was the disciple
of His Holiness Śrī Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī of the Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi
Pīṭha. The first epistle contemplates the sending of an young elephant to
His Holiness as an offering to Chandramoulīśvara; while the second one
tells that the same has actually been despatched. *(Vide* p. 460). Both
these epistles fervently pray for the contemplated visit of His Holiness to
Trivandrum. These letters have been written in excellent Sanskrit in the
Devanāgari script and they are noteworthy for the sweetness of their
language, choice of expression, depth of learning and devotion.
Both the epistles are undated. By a careful study of the genealogy of the
Travancore ruling dynasty, one could come to the conclusion that these
letters should have been written during the time of Bāla Rāma Varma, the
first (Aviṭṭam Tirunāl) who flourished between the years 1798-1810. There
were three sovereigns of the Travancore ruling dynasty bearing the name of
Bāla Rāma Varma. *Bāla Rāma Varma I* (Aviṭṭam Tirunāl) flourished between
1798-1810. During his period, the pontiff at the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha was His
Holiness *Śrī Mahādevendra Sarasvatī* (1783-1814). *Bāla Rāma Varma II* (Svāti
Tirunāl) flourished between 1829-1847 A.D. And, during this period the
pontiff at the Kāmakoṭī Pīṭha was *His Holiness Śrī Chandraśekharendra
Sarasvatī* (1814-1854 A.D.) *Bāla Rāma Varma III* (Mūlam Tirunāl)
flourished between 1885-1924; and during this period the pontiffs at the
Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha were *His Holiness Śrī Mahadevendra Sarasvatī* (1857-1891), *His
Holiness Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī* (1891-1907), *His Holiness Śrī
Mahadevendra Sarasvatī* (1907), and *His Holiness Śrī Chandraśekharendra
Sarasvatī, the present Head of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha.*
12 The two epistles were sent to His Holiness Śrī Mahādevendra
Sarasvatī, by the king Bāla Rāma Varma. These could not have been sent by *Bāla
Rāma Varma II* (1829-1847) because the pontiff at Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha then was *His
Holiness Śrī Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī.* Both the letters bear the
signature of the court which tried the suit of 1847. Hence they could not
have been sent by Bāla Rāma Varma III (1885-1924). Therefore they must have
been sent by *Bāla Rāma Varma I* to the pontiff of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha His
Holiness Śrī Mahādevendra Sarasvatī towards the close of the 18th Century
or the early years of the 19th Century.
In these two epistles the Āchārya is referred to as follows:
“*Śrīmad
Kāñchīdivyāyatana-nalinakara-mahāmandana-śāradā-mathasarasijarājahaṃsānām........
Śrīmad Śaṅkarabhagavadpādā-chāryānām adhiṣṭhāne siṃhāsanābhiṣikta........
Mahādevendra-sarasvatī Pādāravindayoḥ*”.
In 1808 A.D. Chatrapati Mahārājā Serfoji had sent a letter of invitation to
the 63rd Āchārya in which the Guru is referred to as follows *:*
“*Śrīmad Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakāchā yavarya Śrīmad śaṅ kara
Bhagavatpādāchāryāṇām Adhiṣṭhāna Simhāsane Abhiṣiktānām Śrīmad
Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī Samyamīndrāṇām antevāsivarya Śrī Mahādevendra
Sarasvatī Śrīpādānām,*” etc. etc. (*Vide* pp. 461-463).
In 1839 A.D., the 64th Āchārya, Śrī Chandraśekharendra Sarasvatī performed
the Kumbhābhiṣekam of Śrī Kāñchī Kamākṣ! temple. There is a stone epigraph
in the temple which mentions this in Telugu characters as follows:
“*Svasti Śrī Vijayābhyudaya Śālivāhana Śakābda* 1761 (1839 A.D.), *Vikārī
Nāma Saṃvatsara.... Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhādhipatulaina, Śrī
Chandraśekhara Svāmulavaru, Kumbhakoṇamununchi Kāñchikivachchi,* etc., etc.”
There is another interesting letter of 1858 A.D. written by the Garrison
officer of Kumbhakoṇam to the Agent of the Maṭha in which the officer
Commanding had informed the Manager that some sepoys who had misbehaved did
so due to ignorance and that he had issued suitable instructions to them.
The addressee of this letter is given as follows:
“Soobhier the Agent of Sree Sankarachariar the priest of Sree Conjee
Commacote Peetam at cusbah of Combaconum.”
There are a number of records which clearly prove that the Āchāryas were
described as ‘*Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭhādhi*-*patis*’ only even after the
Maṭha was shifted to Kumbhakoṇam.
A reference to the Inam lands and Inam titles of the Maṭha also shows that
from ancient times onwards several lands in several villages round about
Kāñchīpuram like Mādhavaram, Ambi, Śivakāñchī, Seviliveḍu and
Kunḍiyantanḍalam have been in the occupation and enjoyment of the Maṭha. In
several of them, the original title of the grantee is written as *“Śrī
Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭham”* or *“Kumbhakoṇam śñ Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭham”,* etc.
This also clearly shows that the traditional title of Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi
Pīṭha was continued undisturbed even though due to various reasons the
Maṭha was transferred from Kāñchīpuram to Kumbhakoṇam.
13 Regarding the Mutt of Śaṅkarāchārya at Kumbhakoṇam Mr.
Hemingway, I.C.S., records a tradition in the Tanjore District Gezeteer (p.
208) for the year 1906 thus:
“There is an important Smārtha religious Institution here in the Maṭha of
Śrī Śaṅkarāchārya which is said to have been founded in the time of
Śaṅkarāchārya himself by a Tanjore king who wished the saint to reside in
his dominion.”
In case this tradition is authentic, we infer that the building offered by
the Tanjore King on the banks of the river Cauvery at Kumbhakoṇam may be an
auxiliary one to that at Kāñchīpuram. Kāñchī is one of the seven
*Mokṣapuris* of India.
*“Ayodhyā mathurā māyā kāśi kāñchī avantikā purī dvāravatī chaiva saptaitāḥ
mokṣadāyikāḥ”*
In the same way Cauvery is one of the seven sacred rivers of India.
*“Gange cha yamune chaiva godāvarī sarasvatī narmade sindhu kāverī....* ”
Both Kāñchī and Cauvery are in the southern region. In the 10th skandha of
the *Bhāgavata* while describing the Tīrthayātra of Balarāma the following
śloka occurs:
*“Kāmakoṭipurīm kāñchīm kāverīm cha saridvarām”*
The Pīṭha at Kāñchī should be necessarily supplemented by an auxiliary one
on the banks of the sacred river Cauvery. Thus the institution should only
be a branch one like the branch mutt of Kāñchī Pīṭha in other holy places
such as Jambukeśvaram, Varanasi, Tiruvottiyur, Madhyārjunam etc.
The river Cauvery in Kumbhakoṇam dries up in summer and the northern branch
of Cauvery, the Coleroon a perennial stream, flows within seven miles north
of Kumbhakoṇam. On the banks of the Coleroon river there is a village
Nīlattanallūr and there is a dilapidated pavilion which is recorded in
village accounts as Śaṅkarāchārya Mutt.
The Āstikas of Madras who hud an organization or Sabhā for
determining dhārmic questions and correct lapses, if any, in the community
were in the habit of assembling periodically in the premises of the Madras
branch of the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha at 119, Thambu Chetty Street, G.T., Madras,
which was dedicated to Śaṅkarāchārya Svāmi for the grace of
Chandramaulīśvara by one Vajrāla Thyāgarāyadu in the year 1742. *(Vide* p.
464). The Āstikas were represented by eighteen Jālādhipatis. who were the
accredited heads of the different communities. The meetings were presided
by an elected *sabhāpati* at that tune. The Śṛṅgeri Āchārya in the year
Śukla in the last century (1870), issued a Śrīmukham to the then *Sabhāpati* of
the Madras Mahājanas Śrīmān Pandipeddi Krishnaswami Ayya in which the
Āchārya makes it clear that he has no intention to act against the Kāmakoṭi
Pīṭha. *(Vide* p. 465).
In the present century, the *Hindu* Message (Vāṇi Vilās Press)
published at Śrīraṅgam under the editorship of Mi. T. K. Balasubramania
Iyer, *Gurubhaktaśikhāmaṇi* (Śṛṅgeri) who brought out the Globe Edition of
the works of Śrī Śaṅkarāchārya wrote in its editorial on May 10, 1923,
describing the Tāṭaṅka Pratiṣṭhā consecration as follows.
“Never before in the annals of Trichinopoly have, we witnessed the grandeur
and enthusiasm that were displayed at the reception of His Holiness Śrī
Jagadguru Śrī Śaṅkarāchārya of Kānchi Kāmakoṭi Peetha who arrived at
Trichinopoly on the 23rd ultimo. The mile long procession headed by richly
caparisoned elephants and surging crowds with His Holiness seated high on
the Ivory palanquin in the centre surrounded by large concourse of Brahmins
chanting the Vedas, and followed by the numerous Bhajana Parties and
Tevāram Parties, the rich and tasteful decorations all along the route
which extended to nearly eight miles, the buoyant enthusiasm of the huge
crowd that pressed on all sides just to have a glimpse of His Holiness’s
beaming countenance and that followed the procession right through to the
end, the festive appearance of the whole town and the eagerness of everyone
in the vast concourse of people to do some sort of service to His Holiness
were sights for gods to see and they beggar all description. It showed in a
clear and unmistakable way the strong hold of religion and religious ideals
still on the people of the country. No VICEROY or even the EMPEROR himself
could have evoked such spontaneous and heartfelt enthusiasm. It took nearly
five hours for the procession to reach its destination. His Holiness had a
smile or a word of cheer for every one of the assembled people and when he
retired into the Mutt, His Holiness observed that the weariness of the
journey was counteracted by unprecedented enthusiasm of the people. The
very next day commenced the preliminaries for the Tatanka Pratiṣṭa for the
Goddess Akhilandēśwarī at Jambukēswaram. As many of our readers may not
quite understand what it means by Tatanka Pratiṣṭa we will describe it a
little in detail.
When Ādī Śaṅkarāchārya incarnated in this holy land, he went round the
whole of Bhāratavarṣa several times and in the course of his Vijaya Yāthra
established several Yantras in different big temples. Of such temples,
Jambukeśwaram is an important one. It appears the Goddess here was very
fierce and with her ugra kala used to bum everything before her. Even the
archaka who opened the temple doors early in the morning was reduced to
ashes and the people, unable to put up with such fierceness, eagerly
availed themselves of the opportunity afforded by the presence in their
midst of the great Śaṅkarāchārya who came to this kṣetra in the course of
his tour and implored him to draw out the ugra kala of the Goddess and thus
appease her ferocity. Accordingly, he established a temple of Ganesa just
opposite to that of the Goddess so that when the temple doors were opened
in the morning the first person to catch the eye of the Goddess may be her
own favourite son. This in a way reduced the ferocity, but not’ satisfied
with this, Śrī Śaṅkarāchārya prepared two Śrī Chakras in the shape of two
Tatankas *(Ear-ornaments)* and drew forth all the ugra kala of the Goddess
into these two Tatankas and fixed them on her two ears. Thenceforward the
Goddess became *Soumya Murthi* and ever since then this Tatanka has been
worn by the Goddess always except during the nights. And whenever this
ornament got into disrepair, it was repaired by the spiritual descendents
of the great world-teacher, *who adorned the Kānchī Kāmakoṭi Peetha,* and
put up again on the ears of the Goddess after due Pratiṣṭa. In accordance
with this time-honoured rule, the present occupant of Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi
Peetham deemed it part of his duty to repair the Tatanka and perform the
Pratiṣṭa while fixing it up again on the ears of the Goddess. With this
object in view, His Holiness started from Kumbakonan more than four years
ago and after touring through various parts, of the country, teaching
Dharma to his numerous disciples, reached Trichinopoly just two weeks ago.
The preliminary ceremonies were performed on a grand scale with the help of
thousands of Brahmins and the ceremony proper took place on the 29th
ultimo. Ever since very early hour that morning, people began to assemble
in large numbers and by about 8 AM, when His Holiness left the Mutt for the
temple, the crowd had become so dense that the town could not hold it. The
twin attraction of the Goddess Akhilāndēśwarī (Goddess of all the Worlds)
and the divine Jagadguru (the World-Teacher) was so great that it attracted
enormous crowds with boundless enthusiasm. The sight of this surging mass
of people and the tremendous enthusiasm that swayed them was simply
marvellous. The rush was so great that it became very difficult even for
His Holmess to enter the temple. After ail, when His Holiness got into the
Sanctum Sanctorum and the Kumbham was brought in from the Yagasala and the
Abhiṣekam was performed for the Goddess, there arose a thrill of reverence
throughout the surging mass of humanity. Soon after, under the commands of
His Holiness and blessed by him, the Tatankas were fixed up as usual on the
ears of the Goddess and immediately there shone a brilliant divine lustre
which it was the privilege, of only those that were inside, to witness.
Thus ended this unique festival, eagerly awaited by thousands of pilgrims
from all parts of the country. People were fed in tens of thousands and a
very large number of highly learned Vidvans, who had graced the occasion,
delivered a number of public lectures under the command of His Holiness on
various interesting topical subjects. They were all duly honoured by His
Holiness with valuable presents according to their merits. Thus ended the
unique ceremony not witnessed by any for two generations past”.
In the present century the learned royal families of Cochin,
Benaras and Pudukkottah refer to the institution as *‘Kāmakoṭi
Pīṭhādhiṣṭhāna of Jagadguru’.*
In the Śubhalekha (invitation) sent to this Mutt on the occasion of the
coronation of the present Mahārājā of Mysore Śrī Jaya Chāmarājendra
Wodayar, this Mutt is referred to as *“Śrī Jagad-guru Kāñchī Śrīmat Śaṅkara
Bhagavatpādāchāryāṇām adhiṣṭhāne siṃhāsanābhiṣiktānām”.*
The authorities of the Śṛṅgeri Mutt in a letter dated 14-10-1942 to Śrī
Viśuddhānanda Bhāratī who was residing in Kāñchī in the building belonging
to Śṛṅgeri Maṭha have informed that Kāñchī is the seat of the great
Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha and the building of the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha there was not to be
given the status of a Maṭha. *(Vide* pp. 466-467).
It will thus be seen from the above that the tradition, legends, copper
plate grants, stone epigraphs, literary evidence, contemporary records, all
go conclusively to show that the Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha established at
Kāñchīpuram by Ādi Śaṅkara has been functioning there in an unbroken line
of Āchāryas. The Ambi grant, supported by the stone temple epigraph of the
same place, clearly takes the antiquity of the Maṭha to the beginning of
the 12th century A. D. Earlier to that we have the traditional accounts
preserved in the Śaṅkara-vijayas and other literary works referred to. The
later copper plate grants spanning nearly 5 to 6 centuries and the profuse
Moḍi and other contemporary records of the past centuries clearly prove the
continuity of the Pīṭha as a great and powerful spiritual influence on the
people. The Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha has thus an ancient and illustrious
history and has from the day of Ādi Śaṅkara been serving as a centre of
dissemination of Dharma and spiritual knowledge. No wonder that *Śrī Mūka
Pañchaśatī* mentions the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha as *Ādima Para Pīṭha.* The
greatness of the Pīṭha lies not merely in its antiquity. It lies in the
fact that the Pīṭha was established and consecrated by Bhagavatpāda Ādi
Śaṅkara himself and the influence of the spiritual power of that great
teacher is being continued in its pristine purity by a line of great
Āchāryas who have adorned the Pīṭha down the ages. The sacredness and
sanctity of the Pīṭha and the divine influence of the Āchāryas are more
vital and important.
It is our good fortune that a Jīvanmukta, who is considered by one and all
as an avatar of Śaṅkara himself, is guiding us from the Pīṭha. It is a
great event that is being celebrated, viz., the 60th anniversary of his
ascension to this ancient Pīṭha. It is unique in the history of any ancient
institution that the incumbent sheds lustre on the institution and the
institution also imbues the incumbent with its own greatness.
*jīvanmukto jagatyām nijūniyamatapaśśaktitaḥ pūjanīyaḥ
sad-dkarmasyoddhidhīrṣuh kaliyugajanuṣām bhāgyato bhāsate yaḥ śrī kāñchī
kāmakoṭi garurapi ca tadadhyāsyamānam hi pīṭham dhāmnānyonyam dvayam tat
prathayati nitarām naitadanyaira dṛṣṭam* — (*Svakṛtam*).
“The Śrī Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Guru who is a Jīvanmukta, and for ever bent on the
uplift of Dharma, is to be worshipped for the power and greatness of his
own tapas; He is adorning the Pīṭha due to the good fortune of the people
of this Kali age. This Guru and the great and illustrious Pīṭha adorned by
him, these two. shed lustre on each other. This rare event is not seen
anywhere else”. [Verse by the Author]
K RAJARAM IRS 151024 to be contd
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