Mela Authority Questions Swami's 'Shankaracharya' Title Amid Holy Dip Row

According to Mela Authority officials, the notice refers to a Supreme Court order and states that Swami Avimukteshwaranand is not recognised as the Shankaracharya of the Jyotirmath.

It questions the basis for 'appropriating' the title 'Shankaracharya' and also asked him to submit a response within 24 hours.

The notice cites the case titled '3010/2020 Jagat Guru Shankaracharya Jyotishpeeth P.S.S.N. Saraswati versus Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati', which pertains to a long-standing legal dispute over the rightful Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math (Jyotish Peeth).

The case involves rival claims by P.S.S.N. Saraswati, also known as Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, and Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, with both sides contesting each other's eligibility and the validity of appointments.

The dispute has its roots in historical disagreements and has required scrutiny by trial courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court, particularly on matters related to injunctions and eligibility.

Both Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati (P.S.S.N. Saraswati) and Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, a disciple of Swami Shantanand Saraswati, have laid claim to the spiritual headship of Jyotir Math, located at Badrinath.

In October 2022, the Supreme Court stayed the coronation of Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as the new Shankaracharya of the Jyotir math in Uttarakhand.

Hindu scholars point out that traditionally, a peeth is not expected to remain without a Shankaracharya.

The title 'Shankaracharya' is commonly used for the heads of monasteries, or mutts, that follow the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism.

Adi Shankaracharya established four principal mutts across the country -- the Jyotish Peeth at Badrikashram (Badrinath) in the north, Sharada Peeth at Dwarka in the west, Govardhan Peetha at Puri in the east, and the Sringeri Sharada Peetham in the Chikkamagalur district of Karnataka in the south.

The issuance of the notice also comes against the backdrop of a recent clash between the disciples of Swami Avimukteshwaranand and the Magh Mela administration during the Mauni Amavasya bathing festival.

During the incident, the spiritual leader alleged that police personnel stopped him and his followers from taking a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

Following this, Swami Avimukteshwaranand sat on a protest outside his camp, abstaining from food and water, and demanded an apology from senior officials of the mela administration and the police.

Mela Officer Rishiraj, however, claimed that supporters of the seer had allegedly broken barricades on a pontoon bridge that was reserved for emergency services.

District Magistrate Manish Verma said that similar questions regarding the status of the Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya had been raised during the 2022 Magh Mela as well, after which legal opinion was sought by the then mela officer.

- IANS