Kumbakonam, or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 km (25 mi) from Thanjavur and 282 km (175 mi) from Chennai and is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district. It is the second largest city in the district after Thanjavur. The city is bounded by two rivers, the Kaveri River to the north and Arasalar River to the south. Kumbakonam is known as a "Temple town" due to the prevalence of a number of temples here and is noted for its Mahamaham festival, which happens once in 12 years, attracting people from all over the country.
Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi ShankaracharyaSwamigal was the 69th Shankaracharya Guru and head or pontiff (Pïțhādhipati) of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer was nominated by his predecessor, Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, as his successor and was given the pontifical title Sri Jayendra Saraswathi on 22 March 1954.
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.
Kumaran Kundram is a hillrock located at Chromepet, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. It houses an about 40-year-old temple dedicated to the Hindu God Murugan. The temple can be reached by road from Chromepet en route to Hasthinapuram. The presiding deity is Sri Swaminathaswamy. The presiding deity in Kumaran Kundram is believed to be equivalent to the one in Swamimalai and stands atop the hillock facing north. It can be reached by a flight of about 80 steps.
Seshadri Swamigal, also known as the "Saint with a Golden Hand", was an Indian holy man who was born in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. He lived in Tiruvannaamalai, where he attained samadhi.
Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal also known as the Sage of Kanchi or Mahaperiyavar was the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Mahaperiyavar's discourses have been recorded in a Tamil book titled "Deivathin Kural".
Sadasiva Brahmendra was a saint, composer of Carnatic music and Advaita philosopher and Sishya of the Great saint Shri Paramasivendra Sarasvati, who lived near Thiruvenkadu, Tamil Nadu, during the 15th/16th century. Even Today, many saints from big and small mathas come and prostrate at his adhisthanam to pay their respects to him and his guru parampara. Unfortunately only a few of his compositions have survived, but they are recognized as great compositions of Carnatic music.
Mahadevendra Saraswathi V was the 67th Peethadishwar of the Kanchi matha.
Raja Mannargudi Mahamahopadhyaya Thyagaraja Mahi Raju Sastrigal, also known as Mannargudi Raju Sastri or Mannargudi Periyaval, was a Hindu scholar. He was born in the Bharadwaja Vamsa, as a descendant of Adayappaalam Sri Appayya Dikshitar. Raju Sastri was born in the village of Kuthambadi in today's Thiruvarur district as son of Maragathavalli Janakiammal and Sri Markasahaya Appa Dikshitar
Jagadguru Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal is the 70th Jagadguru Peethadipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kanchipuram. He became the senior Pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt following the death of Jayendra Saraswati, the 69th Pontiff, on 28 February 2018.
H. H. Swami Santhananda Saraswati Avadhoota Swamigal born as Subrahmanyam was a Hindu spiritual leader and teacher who established the worship of Devi Bhuvaneswari in Tamil Nadu. He was the founder of the Bhuvaneswari Peetam in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, India. The very embodiment of Prema, Sri Sri Swami Santhananda was the fountainhead of Hindu Dharma and Vedic principles. In his lifetime he had conducted several yagnas as elucidated in the Sasthras and challenged orthodoxy by bringing to light, guarded Moola Mantras that ensure common good, wealth and peace.
Gnanananda (Nia-na-nan-da) was an Indian guru, referred to by followers as Swami Sri Gnanananda Giri. He was the Chief Disciple of the Sri Sivaratna Giri Swamigal and one of the leaders (Peetathipathis) of the Jyotir Math, one of the four Maths established by Adi Sankara. This lineage of Peetathipathis is also called the 'Giri' Paramparai, as seen from the Peetathipathis' name which ends with 'Giri'. Gnanananda is a Mahayogi, Siddha Purusha, Himalayan sage and Indian philosopher. He believed in Advaita Vedanta because of his lineage. He had a number of disciples including Vidyananda, Triveni and Dasagiri. He blessed Hari to 1. Haridhos Giri to uplift and help mankind from sufferings through Guru Bakthi Prachara Swami had a number of accomplished disciples through his abnormally long tenure- Bramanamda who took samadhi at Puskar, Achutadasa of Polur. He loved obsurity. He changed identity to avoid being recognised.
Govindapuram is a village in the Thiruvidaimarudur taluk of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at a distance of 7 kilometres from Kumbakonam and 27 kilometres from Mayiladuthurai and 1 kilometre from Thiruvidaimarudur. It is said this is named after the minister Govinda Dikshita of Raghunatha Nayaka who ruled Thanjavur in 17th century.
Sridhara Venkatesa Dikshitar, popularly known as Ayyaval, was a Hindu saint and composer who lived in the village of Thiruvisanallur in the then Thanjavur Maratha kingdom.
Bodhendra Saraswathi was a 17th-century Hindu pontiff and the 59th Jagathguru (head) of the Kanchi matha, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. He spent his later life in Govindapuram.
Atma Bodhendra Saraswati was the 58th Pontiff of the Kanchi Matha from 1586 AD to 1638 AD. He was a native of Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu. He was born in the year 1586. His pre-monastic name was Visvesvara. In some texts name him as Vishwakendra Saraswati or Girvanendra Saraswati. Sri Neelakanta Dikshitar in Guru Ratna Malika praised him as Girvanendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. He toured south India extensively and stayed at Benares. He wrote a commentary on the Vedic Sri Rudram. It was Atma Bodhendhra who instructed the great Avadhuta Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra to write the Guru ratna Malika stotram on the Gurus of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. For Sadasiva brahmendra saraswathi and Atma Bodendra Saraswathi, the common guru is 57th Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Paramasivendra Saraswathi who attained siddhi at Tiruvengadu. Atma Bodhendra Saraswathi is the immediate guru of Bodhendra Saraswathi, the 59th pontiff of Sri Kanchi Mutt who attained siddhi at Govindapuram, near Kumbakonam.
Sankararaman murder case was a case on the staged murder of Sankararaman, the manager of Varadharaja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram, a town in state of Tamil Nadu. He was murdered in the premises of the temple on 3 September 2004. The blame was hoisted on the Shankaracharya Shri Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal and Shri Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal.
Manjapra Mohan is a devotional singer from Kerala, India. He is the nephew of M. D. Ramanathan, a famous singer of Carnatic music. He has written, composed and sung many bhajans in Tamil, Malayalam and Sanskrit, praising almost all Hindu deities.
Kaveri Pushkaram is a festival of River Kaveri that normally occurs once in 12 years.
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.
