- Jayendra Saraswathi
Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal (born
July 18 ,1935 as Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer) is the 69thShankaracharya (guru and head or pontiff (Peetadhipathi)) of theKanchi Kamakoti Peetham , aHindu religious institution.Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer was nominated by his predecessor, Sri
Chandrasekarendra Saraswati as his successor and was given the title Sri Jayendra Saraswathi onMarch 22 ,1954 . He is one of the leading religious figures in Hinduism today.On account of his sacerdotal office and his profound knowledge of the Hindu religion, he commands wide respect in India, particularly in religious Hindu circles. The Kanchi Math has grown into a strong organization under him. Further, the Kanchi Mutt is also widely patronised by many NRIs, particularly from the U.S.A. The Finance of the Kanchi Mutt runs into many millions and it runs many schools, eye clinics and hospitals, Shankara Nethralaya in
Chennai andGuwahati ,Assam , and the Children's Hospital, Hindu Mission Hospital and the Tamilnadu Hospital.The
Jayalalithaa government inTamil Nadu enacted a law to ban religious conversion, in keeping with the Shankaracharya's oft-expressed concerns. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2356621.stm] . The Tamil Nadu government also started to enforce a preexisting ban on animal sacrifice in temples [http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep15/n8.asp] , echoing concerns raised by the pontiff.He was arrested on
November 11 ,2004 and charged by state prosecutors to being a conspirator in the murder of a temple manager, Sankararaman. OnJanuary 10 2005 , he was able to secure bail from theSupreme Court of India although lower courts refused his bail application [http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/qrydisp.asp?tfnm=26701] . On 26th October 2005, the Supreme Court of India transferred the case out of the state of Tamil Nadu state to the adjoining Union Territory of Pondicherry. [http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/qrydisp.asp?tfnm=27305] .The Sankaracharya's arrest attracted widespread media coverage, prompting accusations of a . The interest of the media decreased after successive verdicts of the High Courts in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as well as the Supreme Court of India. Particularly, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh found that the conduct of the media was improper. [http://judis.nic.in/andhra/qrydisp.asp?tfnm=832]
External links
* [http://www.kamakoti.org/ The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham]
* [http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/qrydisp.asp?tfnm=27302 Complete text of the Order of the Supreme Court of India in dismissing the application of the Government of Tamilnadu in seeking the stay of the Shankarachaya outside the States of South India]
* [http://judis.nic.in/chennai/qrydisp.asp?tfnm=4711 complete text of the Order of Writ Mandamus issued by the Madras High Court against the Government of Tamilnadu holding that the freezing of the bank accounts by the Police is illegal]
* [http://KanchiForum.org Kanchi Forum] an online forum. "(a forum for devotees of the acharyas to share their views)"
* [http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2124/stories/20041203006300800.htm Cover Story] on Jayendra Saraswathi, in Frontline news magazine.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.