Govardhan Math

{{short description|Religious institution in Hinduism}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox organization | name = Govardhan Math | image = Goverdhana matha.jpg | caption = Govardhan Math Entrance Gate | logo = Govardhan Math Logo.png | logo_caption = Govardhan Math logo | formation = | founder = Adi Shankara | type = Religious | location = Puri, Odisha, India | leader_title = First Shankaracharya | leader_name = Padmapadacharya | leader_title2 = Present Shankaracharya | leader_name2 = Nishchalananda Saraswati | website = {{url|https://govardhanpeeth.org|govardhanpeeth.org}} }}

'''Purvamnaya Sri Govardhana Pitham''' or '''Govardhan Math''' (ଗୋବର୍ଦ୍ଧନ ମଠ) is one amongst the four cardinal pithams established by the philosopher-saint Adi Shankara to preserve and propagate Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta, the doctrine of non-dualism, is Located in Puri in Odisha, India ,

it is the Eastern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four pithams, with the others being

the Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ (Karnataka) in the South,

the Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, and

the Badari Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North.<ref name="Melton2014p574">{{cite book|author=J. Gordon Melton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bI9_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA922|title=Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2014|isbn=978-1-61069-026-3|pages=574–575}}</ref>

It is associated with the Jagannath temple.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta" /> Their Vedantic mantra, or Mahavakya, is ''Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is supreme being), and'' as per the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara, it holds authority over the ''Rigveda''. The head of the matha is called Shankaracharya; the title derives from Adi Shankara .

The deity here is Jagannath (Vishnu),and the goddess is Vimala (Bhairavi). There are Shri Vigrahas of ''Govardhananatha Krishna'' and ''Ardhanareshvara Shiva'' installed by Adi Shankara.<ref name="The great fire">{{cite news|last1=Sahu|first1=Monideepa|title=The great fire|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/532849/fire.html|access-date=6 March 2016|publisher=Deccan Herald|date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

The whole of the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent is considered the territory of Sri Govardhan Peeth.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Vaidya|first1=Dhananjay|title=Poorvamnaya Sri Govardhan Muth, Bhogavardhan Peetham, Puri|url=http://organiser.org/archives/historic/dynamic/modules45ae.html?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=250&page=18|access-date=16 November 2015|publisher=Organiser|date=17 August 2008}} {{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This includes the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh till Rajamundry, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Telangana, Tripura, Mizoram, and Uttar Pradesh till Prayag. The countries Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, as well as the Southeast Asian and Tibetan regions, are also considered spiritual territory of the math. Puri, Prayagraj, Gaya, and Varanasi are some of the holy places under this Math.[[File:Shankaracharya of Puri.jpg|thumb|H.H. Shankaracharya Swami Sri Nishchalananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Puri Govardhana Math Pitham]]

==Background==

According to tradition, as established in 415 BC, Govardhana Matha is one of four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankara (c. 8th century CE), regarded by later tradition as the reviver of Vedic Hinduism. <ref name="Real Thing">Pasricha, Prem C. (1977) The Whole Thing the Real Thing, Delhi Photo Company, p. 59-63</ref> Shankara's four principal disciples, Padma-Pada, Hasta-Malaka, Vartika-Kara or Sureshvara, and Totakacharya, were assigned to these four learning centers in the north, south, east, and west of India.<ref name="God, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi p. 9">Love and God, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Age of Enlightenment Press, 1973 p. 9</ref>

The subsequent leaders of each of these four monasteries are known as Śaṅkarāchāryas in honor of the math's founder, Adi Shankara. <ref name="Indology">Unknown author (2005) [http://indology.info/papers/sundaresan Indology] The Jyotirmaṭha Śaṅkarācārya Lineage in the 20th Century, retrieved 4 August 2012</ref> As such, they are the leaders of the Daśanāmī Saṃnyāsins who are considered to have custody of Advaita Vedānta <ref name="Indology" /> These four principal seats of learning are located in

Purī (Odisha), Śṛṅgeri (Karnataka), and Dvārakā (Gujarat), with <ref name="Indology" /> the northern (Uttarāmnāya) monastery being located in the city of Jyotirmaṭh (also known as Joṣīmaṭh). <ref name="Indology" />

==History== Padmapadacharya became the first leader of the math. The matha has historical connections with the Jagannath temple, which is also located in Puri.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/> It is called the Govardhanatha Math and has a sub-location called the Shankarananda Math.

Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha, who was then the leader at the Dwarka Math, assumed the leadership position at the Govardhan Math in 1925; Shankara Purushottama Tirtha supervised the Math on his behalf while he visited the Self Realization Fellowship in the USA.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/> After Bharati attained Mahasamadhi in 1960, Yogeshwarananda Tirtha succeeded him, who also attained Mahasamadhi a year later in 1961. In 1964, after a "period of uncertainty," Niranjana Deva Tirtha, a disciple named in Bharati's will, was installed by Anhinava Sachchindananda Tirtha of Dwarka.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/> Niranjana Deva Tirtha became known for his unpopular political views affecting the Hindu people.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/aug/28sankra.htm| title = rediff.com: Rival shankaracharya title claimant}}</ref> In 1992, he stepped down after nominating Nishchalananda Saraswati as his successor.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta">Unknown author (5 May 1999) archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131203/http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-today.html here] (Accessed: 2012-08-30) or [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131203/http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-today.html here] The Monastic Tradition Advaita Vedanta web page, retrieved 28 August 2012</ref><ref>(1994) SUNY Press, A Survey of Hinduism By Klaus K. Klostermaier</ref>

Nishchalananda Saraswati was born in Darbhanga in 1943, the son of the raj-Pandita of the Maharaja of Darabhanga.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://govardhanpeeth.org/shankarachrya-matha/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81-%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE/ |title=जगतगुरु शङ्कराचार्य स्वामी निश्चलानंद जी महाराज, Biography, Govardhan Matha |access-date=12 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922115625/http://govardhanpeeth.org/shankarachrya-matha/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81-%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE/ |archive-date=22 September 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He decided to enter sanyasa while being a student at the Tibbia College and spent time studying the shastras at Kashi, Vrindavan, Naimisharanya, Shringeri, etc. In 1974, he took diksha from Swami Karpatri, who gave him the name Nishchalananda.

On 11 February 2018 silver jubilee (25th anniversary) of the pattabhisheka (coronation) of Swami Nishchalananda Saraswati was celebrated in Puri in the presence of chief minister of Orissa Naveen Patnaik, former Nepal king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev; and Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb of Puri.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180210224140/https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/odisha/temple-shut-for-king-s-visit-207653 Temple shut for king's visit], The Telegraph, 11 February 2018</ref>

==Samudra Arati== The Samudra Arati is a daily tradition started by the present Shankaracharya 9 years ago.<ref name="The great fire"/> The daily practise includes prayer and fire offering to the sea at Svargadvara in Puri by disciples of the matha. On Paush Purnima of every year the Shankaracharya himself comes out to offer prayers to the sea.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQgYH0jzHqHFWLKvzcgCmWw YouTube Channel] *[https://twitter.com/govardhanmath?s=09 Twitter]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Govardhana Matha}} Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Category:Hindu organisations based in India Category:Shankaracharya mathas in India Category:Tourist attractions in Puri district Category:Mathas in Puri Category:Adi Shankara Category:Advaita Vedanta