Book chronicles Kanchi Mutt lineage

CHENNAI: The Times Group on Friday brought out a coffee table book, "The Holy Sankara Mutt," putting together the proud lineage of Kanchi Mutt and its 70 Acharyas, starting from Adi Sankaracharya's setting up of the Mutt in 482 BC till the present Sankaracharyas Jayendra Saraswati and Vijayendra Saraswati.
Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati released the book at a function in the Kanchi Mutt which was attended by Vijayendra Saraswati.The Times Group assistant vice-president Ninan Thariyan received the first copy.
Kalavai Sachidananda Swamy, speaking on the occasion, said the book, a collector's item, "would serve as a window to Kanchi Mutt."
While Adi Sankaracharya was a child prodigy who mastered Vedas at the age of eight, many of his successors at Kanchi Mutt were great philosophers and commentators of Vedanta and Upanishads. Sureswaracharya, who was the immediate successor of Adi Sankaracharya, was himself a great scholar. However, he accepted Sankaracharya as his guru after his defeat in a debate with him. Eight Chandrasekarendra Saraswatis have headed the Mutt between 172 AD and 1994. The last, the eighth among them, was also known as Maha Periyava and Paramacharya. He was installed as Acharya at the young age of 13 in 1907 and remained the head of the Mutt for 87 long years.
The book throws light on the journey carried out by Adi Sankaracharya in propagating the philosophy of advaita, through which he also stemmed the decline of Hinduism. It also details the activities of the Mutt like providing modern education with traditional values and healthcare. It provides a good mix of interesting text and photographs that help readers navigate through the 2,500 years of history of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.
The function was attended, among others, by Sree Haran, MD, Asiana Hotels and K Jayaramakrishnan, VP, Tata Consultancy Services.