Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Moolamnaya Sarvagnya Peetham, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near the Kamakshi Amman Temple of the Shaktism tradition, along with a shrine for the Advaita Vedanta teacher Adi Shankara.
| Type | Religious |
|---|---|
| Location |
|
First Jagadguru | Adi Shankara |
Present Jagadguru | Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal |
| Affiliations | Hinduism |
| Website | www |
The matha-tradition attributes its founding to Adi Shankara, but this and the reliability of the matha's succession list has been questioned. The Kanchi Math was originally established as the Kumbakonam Mutt in 1821 as a branch of the Sringeri Mutt, and later became involved with the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram. According to the Sri Kanchi math tradition, the matha was founded at Kanchipuram, and shifted south to the temple city of Kumbakonam in the mid-18th century due to the on-going wars, when there was warfare in the region, and returned to Kanchipuram in the 19th century.
The matha is a living tradition, that continues to pursue spiritual scholarship in contemporary times. Since February 2018, the institution has been led by Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal.