Kesavananda Bharati

Shri Kesavananda Bharati or officially, Srimad Jagadguru Sri Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Keshavananda Bharathi Sripadangalavaru (also known as Edneer Swamiji or Pontiff of Edneer/Kerala Shankaracharya or Shankaracharya of Kerala) is the present pontiff (Guru) of Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Samsthanam, Edneer Mutt in Kasaragod district of the Indian state of Kerala. He is the follower of unique Smartha Bhagawatha tradition and Advaita Vedanta.

Kesavananda Bharati is the most referred name in the Indian Constitutional Law. His Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru and Ors. v. State of Kerala and Anr. (case citation: AIR 1973 SC 1461) is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of India that outlined the Basic Structure doctrine of the Constitution. Indian National Newspaper, The Hindu, in April 2013, on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary noted that this was the case which saved the Indian democracy and thanked Shri Kesavananda Bharati and eminent jurist Nanabhoy Palkhivala for the same.

He is the present head and Guru of Sri Edneer Mutt which belongs to the parampara of Sri Thotakacharya, one of the first four disciples of Sri Adi Shankaracharya and follows Smartha Bhagawatha tradition of Advaitha Pantha which has more than 1200 years of glorious history of religion, culture, art, music and social service. He is the only Shankaracharya in the whole state of Kerala. He took sanyasa at the age of 19 and has been heading the mutt for the last 50 years (as on 2011) as Peetadhipathi and head of Edneer Mutt.

Sri Keshavananda Bharathi Swamiji is spreading the religion and culture in equal earnest. He also renders all possible support to literature, culture and art. He is a great Carnatic and Hindusthani vocalist and master of all sections of Yakshagana, the renowned art form and also has penned many devotional songs and dramas.

Sri Swamiji is a patron of education, Kannada culture and arts, including Yakshagana, music and dramas. He has contributed immensely for Kannada in the border district of Kasaragod. Under his guidance, the mutt has instituted a Kannada Medium School, a Junior college and also Vidyamandira English Medium School at Edneer. The mutt also operates a Sanskrit Veda Patashala and conducts a number of Cultural and art festivals every year.

He was the only Shankaracharya who has publicly issued a statement saying that it was a mistake on the part of the Government to open the vaults of the Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple and he publicly asserted that all the assets found in the vault of Shri Padnabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala State of India are indeed the assets of temple and the responsibility of managing assets should be handed over to the Trust which is presently managing the temple.

Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala

Edneer Mutt

Edneer