V. R. Gowrishankar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 November 1954 Karnataka, India |
| Occupation(s) | Social worker Religious administrator |
| Known for | Sringeri Sharada Peetham |
| Spouse | Geetha |
| Children | Two children(Chinmayee sharada and Abhinava Chandra) |
| Awards | Padma Shri Rajyotsava Prashasthi |
Padma Shri V. R. Gowrishankar is an Indian religious administrator, social worker and former chief executive officer and administrator of Sringeri Sharada Peetham. [1] He was replaced on 12/02/2024 by P.A Murali [2] He is credited with expanding the activities of the Sringeri Math into education and social service.[ citation needed ] His efforts are reported behind the establishment of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham Temple and community center in Houston, Texas in 2013. [3] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of India, the Padma Shri, in 2008, for his contributions to society. [4] He has constantly given money for charity to help poor people. V.R Gowrishankar landed in controversy for Sanctioning the Sanskrit studies in Columbia University but due to huge pressure from Indic Sanskrit Scholars, Dr Subramaniam Swamy, Dr Rajiv Malhotra the project was shelved off causing embarrassment to the prestigious institution as well for the administration.
Gowrishankar was born in the south Indian state of Karnataka on 30 November 1954 in a family closely associated with Sringeri Sharada Peetham where his father and grandfather had earlier served as scholars. [5] He graduated in engineering from B.M.S. College of Engineering, Bengaluru and followed it up with a post graduate degree (DIISc) in industrial management from the Indian Institute of Science. [6] In 1986, he took charge as the chief executive officer and administrator of the Peetham, holding the general power of attorney of the properties and the administrative authority over more than 150 branches and other subsidiary organizations of the Peetham. [6]
Under Gowrishankar's leadership, it is reported that the Math expanded its activities which now include a scheme for providing free meal to children, Swasti Grama Yojana and adoption of villages, Healthcare schemes and providing free educational wares such as computer kits to students. [7] During his tenure as the chief executive officer, Math constructed a new residence for the pontiff, a new dining hall with a capacity to host 3000 people at a time (considered to be the largest of its kind in Asia) and a new headquarters for the Veda Samskrita Pathashala (School of Vedas). [6] His contributions are also reported in the establishment of a temple in Houston and two other temples in Detroit and California. [3] He then has also participated in the social movements and his leadership of the public movement against the demolition of heritage properties by the Nashik Municipal Corporation for widening road was one such activism. [8]
Besides heading the administration, he is also a part of the management of many Math organizations. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation in Canada, [9] chief executive officer of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham Charitable Trust, and of the Board of Governors of Rangadore Memorial Hospital, a charitable hospital under the trust, [10] and a member of the Board of Governors of the Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering Technology. [11] He has had the honour to address the General Assembly of the United Nations. [12] The Government of Karnataka awarded him their second highest civilian award of Rajyotsava Prashasthi in 2003 [6] and he received the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2008. [13]
Gowrishankar is married to Geetha and the couple has two children. [9]
Sringeri also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the site of the first maṭha established by Adi Shankara, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Located on the banks of the river Tungā, the town draws a large number of pilgrims to its temples of Sri Sharadamba, Sri Vidyashankara, Sri Malahanikareshvara and other deities.
Shankaracharya is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of teachers retrospectively dated back to him are known as Shankaracharyas.
Kalady or Kaladi is a town located between Angamaly and Perumbavoor, east of the Periyar river, near to Malayattoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, not far from Cochin International Airport. It is notable as the birthplace of 9th century Indian philosopher Adi Shankara.
Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Moolamnaya Sarvagnya Peetham, is a Hindu religious center of Vedic learning, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is housed at the Kamakshi Amman Temple of the Shaktism tradition, which also contains a shrine for the Advaita Vedanta teacher Adi Shankara.
Vidyaranya, usually identified with Mādhavācārya, was the jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from ca. 1374–1380 until 1386 - according to tradition, after ordination at an old age, he took the name of Vidyaranya, and became the Jagadguru of this Matha at Sringeri.
Dakṣiṇāmnāya Śrī Śāradā Pīṭham or Śri Śṛṅgagiri Maṭha is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams following the Daśanāmi Sampradaya - the peetham or matha is said to have been established by acharya Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in Śringerī in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka, India, it is the Southern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four Chaturāmnāya Pīthams, with the others being the Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, Purī Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ (Odisha) in the East, Badri Jyotishpīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North. The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya, the title derives from Adi Shankara.
Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati was the Jagadguru Sankaracarya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham in 1912–1954. He was one of the known spiritual figures in Hinduism during the 20th century. He is a Jivanmukta.
PascimāmnāyaŚrī Śāradā Pītham or Dwarka Sharada Math, is one amongst the four cardinal peethams believed by its followers to be established by Adi Shankara, preserving and propagating Sanatana Dharma and Advaita Vedanta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in the city of Dwaraka, Gujarat, India it is the pascimāmnāya matha, or Western Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four Chaturāmnāya Pīthams. It is also known as the Kālikā Matha. Their Vedantic mantra or Mahavakya is Tattvamasi. According to tradition, believed to be initiated by Adi Shankara, it holds authority over Sama Veda. The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya, the title derives from Adi Shankara.
Purvamnaya Sri Govardhana Pitham or Govardhan Math is one amongst the four cardinal pithams established by the philosopher-saint Adi Shankara to preserve and propagate Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in Puri in Odisha, India, it is the Eastern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the five pithams, with the others being the Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ (Karnataka) in the South, Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, Badari Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North .It is associated with the Jagannath temple. Their Vedantic mantra or Mahavakya is Prajñānam brahma and as per the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara it holds authority over the Rigveda. The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya, the title derives from Adi Shankara.
Sri Sharadamba Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Sharadamba in the holy town of Sringeri in Karnataka, India.
Vidyaranyapura Agrahara is a small village near Sringeri in the state of Karnataka, India. It houses several brahmin families associated with the Sringeri Sharada Peetham and local temples.
Samvedis or Samvedi Brahmins are an Indian Hindu Brahmin community, originating from a group of classical musicians and classical dancers. They follow Sama Veda and believed to have been originated from Odisha, India.
Jagadguru Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswami was the 35th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, which has been occupied by an unbroken lineage of gurus stretching back to the Advaitic philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, who established the matha for the propagation of Advaitha Vedanta.
The Advaita Guru-Paramparā is the traditional lineage (parampara) of divine, Vedic and historical teachers of Advaita Vedanta. It begins with the Daiva-paramparā, the gods; followed by the Ṛṣi-paramparā, the Vedic seers; and then the Mānava-paramparā, with the historical teachers Gaudapada and Adi Shankara, and four of Shankara's pupils. Of the five contemporary acharyas, the heads of the five Advaita mathas, four acharyas trace their lineage to those four pupils and one to Adi Shankara himself.
Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or JyotirMath is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Hinduism and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in the city of Joshimath, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, it is the uttarāmnāya matha or Northern Āmnāya Pītham, amongst the four Chaturamnay Peethams and in later period, Moolamnaya Sarvajna Peetham was declared as Moolamnay by disciples which is in Kalady, Kerala, birth place of Adi Shankara with the others being the Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ (Karnataka) in the South, Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham in the West and Purī Govardhanmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ in the east. Its appointees bear the title of Shankaracharya. It is the headquarters of Giri, Parvata & Sagara sects of the Dasnami Sampradaya. Their Vedantic mantra or Mahavakya is Ayamātmānam brahma and as per the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara it holds authority over Atharva Veda. The head of the matha is called Shankaracharya, the title derives from Adi Shankara.
The Panchagrama Brahmins are a Brahmin community that follow the Smartha Sampradaya. They belong to the Indian state of Karnataka, and reside primarily in the districts of Udupi, Shimoga and Chikmaglur, Bengaluru and other cities.
Jnanananda Bharati (1889–1975), also spelled Gnanananda Bharati, was a Sanyasi, lawyer, philosopher, writer and author. Born as Krishnaswamy Iyer to Vakil G. Ramachandra Iyer and Janaki Ammal on 26 October 1889, Krishnaswamy passed his BA, MA and BL degrees at the University of Madras and practiced as a successful lawyer at Tirunelveli.
Bharathi Tirtha Mahaswamiji, , is an Indian religious leader who is the current and 36th Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, an important Hindu monastery in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta established by Sri Adi Shankara.
Tummalapalli Ramalingeswara Rao was a Telugu poet, novelist, literary critic, philosophical journalist, writer of English prose and an exponent of Mantra Shastra and tradition. His works covered a wide range of subjects like history, sociology, literature, philosophy, religion and spiritualism. His popular works include Sri Lalitha Sahasranama Stotra Bhashyamu, Sri Chakra Vilasanamu, Sri Chakra Pooja Vidhanam, Dharmanirnayam, Tikkana Somayaji, Sivanugrahamu Pitruyagnamu (Poetry) and Sringeri Revisited.
Vidyagiri is a small locality located in the eastern part of Dharwad city in India. Vidyagiri is known for its educational institutions located on the top of its hill. It is home to Janata Shikshan Samithi (JSS) campus of chain of educational centers, schools & colleges.
