Shankaracharya (IAST: akarcrya, Shankara acharya) is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called

mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, an 8th-century CE reformer of
Hinduism.[1] He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Krishna.
The popular view among historians[who?] is that there were four mathas (religious orders):
The Dakshina Moolamnaya matha (main matha) at Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Shringeri, Karnataka.
The Uttarmnya matha (northern matha) at Jyotir Math in the city of Jyotirmath, Uttarakhand.
The Prvmnya matha (eastern matha), or the Govardhana matha at Puri, Odisha.
The Pachimmnya matha (western matha), or the Dvaraka Pitha at Dwarka, Gujarat.
Shankaracharya is also seen as an avatar of Shiva (Shankara). Shankaracharya is responsible for founding many
punyakshetras along the length and breadth of India, by taming avatars of Parvati and imprisoning her essence in
Sri Chakras.
Adi Shankaracharya wished to grace the Indian subcontinent by establishing four major mathas in the four corners
of the peninsula north (Jyothirmath), south (Sringeri), east (Puri), west (Dwarka) to propagate the philosophy of
advaita vedanta and to promulgate the concept of Sanatana dharma, thus establishing dharma or righteousness,
as the way of life of people. His primary four disciples took charges of each math and thus established a strong
Guru-Sishya parampara (a lineage of masters-disciples) in every math, that continues to guide people till today,
with reverence and support by the entire nation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shankaracharya (IAST: akarcrya, Shankara acharya) is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called
mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, an 8th-century CE reformer of
Hinduism.[1] He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Krishna.
The popular view among historians[who?] is that there were four mathas (religious orders):
The Dakshina Moolamnaya matha (main matha) at Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Shringeri, Karnataka.
The Uttarmnya matha (northern matha) at Jyotir Math in the city of Jyotirmath, Uttarakhand.
The Prvmnya matha (eastern matha), or the Govardhana matha at Puri, Odisha.
The Pachimmnya matha (western matha), or the Dvaraka Pitha at Dwarka, Gujarat.
Shankaracharya is also seen as an avatar of Shiva (Shankara). Shankaracharya is responsible for founding many
punyakshetras along the length and breadth of India, by taming avatars of Parvati and imprisoning her essence in
Sri Chakras.
Adi Shankaracharya wished to grace the Indian subcontinent by establishing four major mathas in the four corners
of the peninsula north (Jyothirmath), south (Sringeri), east (Puri), west (Dwarka) to propagate the philosophy of
advaita vedanta and to promulgate the concept of Sanatana dharma, thus establishing dharma or righteousness,
as the way of life of people. His primary four disciples took charges of each math and thus established a strong
Guru-Sishya parampara (a lineage of masters-disciples) in every math, that continues to guide people till today,
with reverence and support by the entire nation.