Latest news with #SanyasaDeeksha
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Courtalam Peetham Uttaradhikari coronation event on June 6
The coronation rituals of Sri Datteshwarananda Bharati Swami as Uttaradhikari of Sri Siddeshwara Peetham in Courtalam in Tamil Nadu in the presence existing pontiff of Sri Siddheswari Peetham Jagadguru Sri Siddheswarananda Bharati Mahaswami will be held on June 6. Sri Siddheshwari Peetham secretary Srinivas Munipalle in a statement said that Sri Datteshwarananda Bharati Swami, who holds a MBBS degree, served as medical officer in northern India before he took Sanyasa Deeksha and earlier was known as as Dr Kadambari Aravind.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
From Vedic scholar to Uttaradhikari of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
Visakhapatnam: Duddu Satya Venkata Surya Subrahmanya Ganesha Sharma Dravid (26), a native of Annavaram, has been announced as the successor (Uttaradhikari/junior pontiff) to the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in Tamil Nadu. He will ultimately become the next Peetadhipathi (head). The current head of the Peetham, Jagadguru Vijayendra Saraswati Shankaracharya, will initiate Ganesha into Sanyasa Deeksha (renunciation) on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on April 30, and will anoint him as the 71st Acharya. Ganesha Sharma was born to Duddu Dhanvantari and Alivelu Mangadevi, a couple from Annavaram, where his father works as a priest at the Annavaram Devasthanam. His mother is a homemaker. He began his primary education under his father's guidance and cultivated a refined way of life. From the age of six, he studied the Rigveda under Ratnakara Bhattu at Dwaraka Tirumala temple, achieving great proficiency. Later, he served as a scholar at the Gnana Saraswati temple in Basara, Telangana. Ganesha, a Rigvedic scholar (Salakshana Ghanapati) has also completed Yajurveda, Samaveda, Shadangas, Dashopanishat and has been pursuing Shastric studies. On one of his visits to Basara, Vijayendra Saraswati noticed him and brought him to the Peetham. There, under the direct guidance of the Swamiji, he was trained in logic (tarka), Mimamsa and Vedas. Following the mahāsamadhi of the 69th head of the Peetham, Jayendra Saraswathi, on Jan 28, 2018, Vijayendra Saraswati — the then-successor — assumed the role as the 70th head of the Peetham. The induction of Ganesha into Sanyasa Deeksha coincides with the 2534th Jayanti Mahotsavam (May 2) of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, who established Kanchi Peetham in 482 BCE. According to the Peetham, Ganesh has enjoyed the blessings of Shankaracharya Swamigal since his initiation into Vedic studies in 2006. After receiving Sanyasa Deeksha, Ganesha is also set to participate alongside Vijayendra Saraswati in the Adi Shankara Jayanti celebrations. His appointment has been met with great joy among local scholars, priests, villagers of Annavaram and the Basara temple staff. Speaking to STOI, Boosala Srinivasa Rao, a TDP leader from Annavaram and a well‐known associate of Ganesh's family, said it is a proud moment for Annavaram to see Ganesha becoming the Uttaradhikari of the renowned Kanchi Peetham. Mamidala Lokesh, another local, echoed Srinivasa Rao's sentiment and mentioned that his family travelled to Kanchi to perform various rituals before the main event on April 30. "There was a joyful atmosphere at the Annavaram Devasthanam, with the child of one of the priests assuming an important position at the Kanchi Peetham," Lokesh added. According to priests at Annavaram temple, Sanyasa Deeksha is a sacred initiation into monastic life that symbolises the renunciation of worldly ties. Once it is done, Ganesha participates in daily rituals, pujas and temple festivals, fulfilling religious duties at the Peetham and its associated institutions. In terms of leadership and succession, the Uttaradhikari shadows the current Acharya, Vijayendra Saraswati, learning from him to understand the spiritual, administrative, and philosophical dimensions of the Peetham's functioning. This process prepares Ganesha for a gradual transition into full leadership, ultimately becoming the next Shankaracharya. The role also demands active public engagement through travel for 'dharma pracharam', as the Uttaradhikari visits temples and communities across India and abroad to disseminate spiritual teachings. In a social media post, Prof S Venugopalan said being a Shankaracharya at the Kanchi Matham is not a showy position, but one that carries tremendous responsibilities. "He must perform the trikala puja — lasting for six to seven hours every day — while also managing the administration of the organisation. Furthermore, he is required to offer a patient ear to all devotees and provide dharmik solutions," he noted. Ganesha Sharma, who moved to Kanchi a few years ago to study Sanskrit and sastras under the pundits of Srimatham, now speaks Tamil fluently. "He is well-versed in the daily pujas dedicated to Lord Chandramouliswara Swamy as performed by the Acharya Swamigal, and the transition is expected to be very smooth in his case," added Venugopalan.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
71st pontiff of Kanchi Math to be anointed on April 30
CHENNAI: Sri Duddu Satya Venkata Surya Subrahmanya Ganesha Sharma Dravid (24) will be anointed the 71st pontiff of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in Kancheepuram on Akshaya Tritiya Day (April 30). Peetathipathi of Kanchi Math, Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal will give Sanyasa Deeksha to Dravid, a Rig Vedic scholar, a Math announcement said. The sacred event coincides with the 2534th Jayanthi Mahotsavam (May 2) of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, who established the Kanchi Math in 482 BCE. Sources said Dravid has been studying Shastras in Kancheepuram under the direct supervision of Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal for the past year. The preliminary Vedic rituals for the anointment have already begun in his native place in Andhra Pradesh, as well as Kancheepuram. On April 30, anointment rituals will start from 6 am. Dravid was born in Tuni, Andhra Pradesh in 2001 to Brahmashri Duddu Srinivasa Surya Subrahmanya Dhanvantari and Alivelu Mangadevi. One of the Vedic students in Kachi Math told TNIE that Dravid has mastered three of the four Vedas — Rig, Yajur and Sama — and has been honoured with the title Salakshana Ganapati. Dravid served as Rig Veda teacher at Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam in Telangana. Kanchi Math Manager Sundaresa Iyer called on Collector Kalaiselvi Mohan and invited her to the ceremony. According to the Kachi Math, Sri Adi Sankara settled down at Kanchi, established the Math and founded a lineage of successors.
