Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Kanchi matha or the Kanchi monastery, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near a temple dedicated to goddess Kamakshi of the Shaktism tradition, along with a shrine for the Advaita Vedanta teacher Adi Shankara. Its founding is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara who it is said lived some of his final years here. The Kanchi matha shifted south to the temple city ofKumbakonam in mid-18th-century to escape persecution and atrocities. It returned to Kanchi in the 19th-century when theo-political stability returned during the British colonial rule. The matha is a living tradition, that continues to pursue spiritual scholarship in contemporary times. The Kanchi monastery, along with its sister monasteries across India, has also been an important preserver and source of historic palm leaf manuscripts. The head of the matha is referred to as a "Sankaracharya". Since February 2018, the institution has been led by Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal.
History
Adi Shankara is traditionally believed in the Kanchi matha tradition to have founded it. According to the Kanchi matha's tradition, their monastery was founded in Kali 2593 by an ascetic named Adi Shankara. The successive heads of the Kanchi and all other major Hindu Advaita tradition monasteries have been called Shankaracharya leading to some confusion, discrepancies and scholarly disputes. The chronology stated in Kanchi matha texts recognizes five major Shankaras: Adi, Kripa, Ujjvala, Muka and Abhinava. It is "Abhinava Shankara" that western scholarship recognizes as the Advaita scholar Adi Shankara, states the Kanchi matha tradition. Scholars such as William Cenkner, Christopher Fuller and David Smith dispute this traditional belief, though they accept that the Kanchi Shankaracharyas are his direct "spiritual descendants". The matha relocated completely to Kumbakonam in mid-18th century to escape wars and persecution. According to Jonathan Bader and other scholars, the monastic tradition gives "fear of Muslim atrocities" from Nawab of Arcot, Mysore's Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan as the reason, but the details remain unclear. The matha returned to Kanchi in the 19th-century. The 70th Shankaracharya, Vijayendra Saraswati is the current Shankaracharya, before which, the matha was headed by Jayendra Saraswathi, the 69th Shankaracharya. The Kamakoti Peetam is named after Kamakshi, referred locally as Kamakoti, or Goddess Durga. Kancheepuram is referred to as Kanchi. The Vyakarana Mahabhashya of Patanjali uses the word 'Kanchi' and it can be thus understood that the word Kanchi also has a Sanskrit base. Under the guidance of Sureshvarachaya, Adi Shankara appointed Sarvajnatman as the third Peetadhipathi.
