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Shankaracharya Temple near Jammu

The Shankaracharya temple is located in the district of Srinagar, on the hill known as Takht-e-Suleiman. It lies at an altitude of 1100 meters on the hill above the surface of the main city. It is said that Raja Gopadatya built the temple in 371 BC, giving the name of Gopadri. The great philosopher Shankaracharya stayed here during his visit to Kashmir in Sanatan Dharma have to revive. Lagging behind the incident the tenth centuries led to the renaming of the city, as Shankracharya temple.

The Shankracharya Temple in Kashmir, India is dedicated to the god Shiva and is considered the oldest shrine in the Kashmir valley. The temple is, as it is today, subject to many repairs throughout its life. The first repair should have done under the rule of Lalitaditya. The second was Zain-ul-Abideen after the temple was damaged by an earthquake. These repairs were during the reign of Sheikh Mohi-ud-Din. The Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh has built the stone steps, that is the part of the passage recognized from the chapel. In 1925 the electrification of the Shankracharya temple was made.

The temple is very important not only from the standpoint of religion but also in architectural terms. One platform supports high octagonal temple, went through a distance of about one hundred meters. The side walls of the measures already provided some valuable engraving. There is a Persian engraving inside the temple, which resembles Emperor Shah Jahan ruling. The main temple, which consists of a circular cell, offers a wonderful view over the valley. The interior of the Shankaracharya temple, after they repaired, is now covered by a modern roof.

Year of Birth of Adi Shankaracharya – 509 BC, 44 BC, 788 AD

HINDU BLOG

Year of Birth of Adi Shankaracharya – 509 BC, 44 BC, 788 AD

In which year was Adi Shankaracharya born? Majority of the people would say Adi Shankara was born in 788 AD at Kaladi in Kerala and died in 820 AD. But the three monasteries among the four set up by Shankaracharya – Dwaraka, Puri and Kanchi – will say it is 509 BC. The fourth Sringeri monastery will say 44 BC. In nutshell, a common birth date of Shankara has not been agreed upon by researchers and the mutts.

A good amount of research has been done to know the birth year of Adi Shankara but there is no common agreement. This is the reason why many people might have come across different birth dates of Adi Shankaracharya.

But why has majority of the scholars agreed upon 788 AD as the birth year? Shankaracharya in his ‘Brahma Sutra Bhasya’ mentions about the city of Pataliputra. It is believed that the city of Pataliputra was destroyed in 750 AD. In the same Bhasya, Shankara mentions about King Purnavarma. Hiuen Tsang, Chinese pilgrim, mentions about Purnavarma as a Buddhist king during 590 AD.

But the most important evidence pointed out by those who support 788 AD was published in ‘The Indian Antiquary’ journal in June 1882 by K.B.Pathak. He mentioned about three manuscript leaves written in Devanagari script which mentions the date and year of birth and date and year of death of Shankaracharya.

Later in The Indian Antiquary magazine volume XXVI in 1897, one P Sundaram Pillai writes about the shlokas in the three manuscript leaves. The year of Shankara’s birth is Vibhava Varsha, Kali year 3889 and his death, the full moon in Vaishakha Kali year 3921. This corresponds to the period of 788 – 820 AD.

But these findings were rejected by several scholars and they formulated new dates. But majority of the researchers agreed to this date.

A recent article in the Sringeri Mutt website also suggests that the birth date of Adi Shankaracharya is 788 AD.

Interestingly, when there is a difference of opinion on the birth year, there is unanimity in the fact that Shankara lived only for 32 years. Those who argue Shankara was born in 509 BC believe that he died in 477 BC.

But why did Adi Shankaracharya – who wrote monumental literary works on Vedanta and Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) – not mention his birth year? Was it done purposefully?

Adi Shankaracharya teaches us to rise above birth and death. He continuously talks about the Supreme Soul or Brahman, which has no birth or death. Again, Brahman is above Time. After all what is time, it is a creation of human beings.

If Shankaracharya were to mention about his birth and foresee his death, he would have been negating his own teachings and Supreme Truth.

Which great ancient seer of Santana Dharma has mentioned his/her birth date? None. Time is important for we modern day human beings and scholars. For us, everything depends on the illusionary time.

Is the teaching of Shankaracharya going to change by exactly pin pointing his date of birth?

The right approach is to study the teachings of Shankara, think about it and form your own opinion and cut out a path to understand Brahman.

Posted by abhilash on 18.2.08 Email This

Read More On: Adi Shankaracharya, Interesting Facts

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15 comments:

Anonymous said...

good article and info.

cheers

February 18, 2008 6:43 PM

Dr Prabhat Tandon said...

509 Bc is the correct one .

November 17, 2008 9:22 PM

SARANG said...

509 BC is the correct one.

Surprising masses are misguided by western indologist and there indian alliance who always try to create confusion in the minds of common people. The right person who can tell the exact date is shankaracharya peth who date it 509 BC although the date don't make any difference to the divine teaching of him. But date makes a huge difference for the corrupt indologist who always try to create confusions in an attempt to promote their own agenda to conversions.

April 5, 2010 11:06 AM

Anonymous said...

509 b.c to 488 b.c seems to be correct, after reading the detailed discussion on this topic by the greatest of great saints- kanchi mahaswamy , in his 'theivathin kural' volume 5.

April 19, 2010 6:12 PM

Anonymous said...

I am a regular reader of the articles of Sri Abilash. You are doing a great work for revitalizing the Sanatana Dharma. May God always help you.

With regard to the time, I would like to make a few suggestion.

You had mentioned that time was created by man. I think it is not correct. Time is one of the things that even Gods could not control and create. Of all measures, Time is the most supreme. That is why Lord Krishna says in Bhagawat Gita "in measures I am the Time".

When all the living beings go to sleep, including the Creator Lord Brahma and the Supreme Lord Vishnu, Time goes on and on. Lord Vishnu sleeps during the Vishnu Nights and hence He cannot control Time. It is the Time that again wakes up the Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. When that Time arrives, Lord Brahma starts His creation.

I think the above details could be useful to all. If you have any details to share, pl send to my email id:

aumtemple@gmail.com

LOKA SAMASTA SUKINO BAVANTHU !!

May 12, 2010 3:09 PM

abhilash said...

Thanks for the wonderful thoughts on time.

May 12, 2010 4:23 PM

thakur said...

adi shankaracharya born 44 bc eshwarnama year sunday march 25 th arudra nakshitra kataka lagnam. thithi is vishaka sudha panchami

May 24, 2010 6:09 PM

Anonymous said...

It is a known secret that God is not bound to any dimension. It is not correct to say time is supreme..

He is alone supreme..

Love

September 28, 2010 10:13 PM

Anonymous said...

adi shankararacharya was born 45 bc year sunday may 10

February 11, 2011 9:39 PM

ramachandrakamath said...

EXACT DOB OF SHANKARA IS AS PROCLAIMED BY MAJORITY OF MUTTS IS 3/04/509BC WHICH EXACTLY TALLIES WITH THE DATE ASSIGNED BY CITSUKACHARYA A LIFE TIME COMPANION OF SHANKARA.ADDED TO THIS MATTER SHRI GAUDAPADACHARYA MUTT OF WHICH GOVINDA BHAGAVATPADA THE SECOND YATHI IN THIS PEETHAM ALSO CLAIMS 509BC AS SHANKARA DOB AND ATTACHES 120YEARS ADDED TO ASSIGN THE DATE OF PARAMAGURU GAUDAPADA .SUCH OF THOSE SCHOLARS WHO HAVE BEEN CLAIMING THE BYGONE RIVER SARASWATHI AS A MYTH PREVIOUSLY NOW ADMIT THAT THE EXISTENCE OF RIVER SARASWATHI AS A HARD CORE TRUTH.ANY TIME OR GIVEN TIME BY ERUDITE SCHOLARS MAY BE CHANGED IN DUE COURSE.BUT HARD CORE TRUTHS REMAIN THE SAME .SO LET THEM BEAT THE DRUM .WE SHALL KEEP MUM.FOR ALL TIMES SHANKARA REMAINS .....THE SUNDAY APRIL 3 509BC ONLY

February 15, 2011 11:27 PM

Krishnan said...

Well written article. However it leaves in doubt the DOB of Adi Sankara. There are slokas which the Kataoyadi code and give us the year counted in Yudhishtra era. This is calculated to correspond to 3102 BCE. So one can ascertain from the slokas that the DOB of Sankara is 509BCE.

It is strange that Sringeri Mutt is prepared to accept 44BCE and not stck to the earlier version of AD.

Jai Jai Sankara

Dr.R.Krishnan

March 17, 2011 2:09 AM

ramachandrakamath said...

on17/03/2011 krishnan said in your blog that......SHRINGERI PEETHAM IS READY TO ACCEPT 44BC AS SHANKARA DATE.BUT PLS NOTE SHRINGERI IS ALENATED IN THE MATTER OF DATE OF SHANKARA.IT WAS PREVIOUSLY UP TO 1910 CLAIMING 44 BC DATE. BUT IN 1960 ONWARDS IT IS STICKING TO SAY 788AD....820 AD. WHY SO DUBIOUS.ALL THE SHANKARITE PEETAMS EXCEPT SHRINGERI ARE OF ONE SINGLE VIEW THAT IS 509 BC. EVEN GAUDAPADACHARYA PEETHAM OF WHICH GOVINDA BHAGAVATPADA IS SECOND YATI AND THE MUTT HAVING LINEAGE OF 77 PONTIFFS ALSO ASSIGNS SHANKARA ITS SHISHYA BANDHU A DATE ASSIGNED BY KANCHI KAMAKOTI PEETHAM AS PERFECT. HENCE THERE IS NOTHING STRANGE IN ASSIGNING DIFFERENT DATES AT DIFFERENT TIMES BY SHRINGERI. FURTHER THE DOUBT REMAINS TO SAY WHICH ONE IS THE ORIGINAL SHRINGERI.IS KUDLI SHRINGERI OR SHRINGERI WHICH CLAIMS 788 AS DOB OF ADI SHANKAR. FURTHER RESEARCHED MATERIAL MAY EXPOSE IN THE MATTER

March 17, 2011 8:03 PM

ramachandrakamath said...

Mr KRISHNAN SAID THAT IT IS STRANGE THAT SHRINGERI IS READY TO CHANGE SHANKARA DATE TO 44 BC INSTEAD OF 788 AD. BUT I AM REQUESTING Dr.KRISHNAN UNDER WHAT AUTHORITY HE IS GIVING THE STATEMENT? DOES SHRINGERI PEETHAM ready to accept 44bc date? if no nothing strange.

March 21, 2011 8:43 PM

ramachandrakamath said...

REGARDING DATE OF SHANKARA ONE DR.W.R.ANTARKAR DID 55 YEARS OF DEVOTED RESEARCH AND WRITTEN RESEARCH THESIES IN WHICH HE DOUBTED THE VERY EXISTENCE AND CREDIBILITY OF THE INSCRIPTION CERTIFIED BY PHATAK AND BHANDARKAR CLAIMING THAT NEITHER THAT WAS SHOWN ANYWHERE NOR WAS IT MADE AVALABLE TO EXAMINE THE SAME.PHATAK AND BHANDARKAR JOINTLY CLAIMED THAT INSCRIPTION FOR THEMSELVES ONLY AND SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE HELP OF SOME OTHER SCHOLARS ATTRIBUTED 788 AD AS DATE OF SHANKARA WHAT A FUN.WHEN MAJORITY PEETHAMS CLAIMING 509BC AND THE SHRINGERI PEETHAM WAS CLAIMING 44 BC. PATHAK AND BHANDARKAR PUBLISHED their papers IN 1881 . AFTER ABOUT 70YEARS+ SHRINGERI STARTED TO ASSIGN 788 AD TO SHANKARA.pls note those were the days of british whose intentional windng up of indian history was well accepted by our indian historians. indian history should have been recorded by indians only .I HERE BY URGE THAT RE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCING / THE HISTORY BE WRITTEN IN INDEPENDENT INDIA AND BRUSH ASIDE CUNNINGHAM REPORT.THE TRUE HISTORY DATES WILL BE WELL VISIBLE AS THE CASE HAPPENED IN THE CASE OF BYGONE RIVER SARASWATHI WHICH WAS CONSIDERED AS A MYTH NOW ACCEPTED AS EXISTENCE OF A HARDCORE TRUTH .

March 21, 2011 9:21 PM

ramachandrakamath said...

thanq for okayed

March 22, 2011 8:09 PM