{ "id": "epr71sj4xa", "slug": "shantananda-saraswati", "title": "Shantananda Saraswati", "updated": "2026-10-15", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.belief", "label": "Philosophy, religion, and mythology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion", "label": "Religion and spirituality", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people", "label": "Religious biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.non_christian_leaders", "label": "Jewish, Islamic, and Dharmic religious leaders", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.non_christian_leaders" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.dharmic_teachers", "label": "Sikh Gurus and Hindu/Dharmic teachers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.dharmic_teachers" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.hindu_dharmic_gurus", "label": "Hindu, Sant Mat, and modern Dharmic gurus", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.hindu_dharmic_gurus" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.hindu_dharmic_gurus.shankara_lineage_jagadgurus", "label": "Shankara-tradition seat holders and jagadgurus", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.hindu_dharmic_gurus.shankara_lineage_jagadgurus" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.belief.religion.people", "label": "India · 1800 to 1945: Religious biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.belief.religion.people", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800", "label": "India · 1800 to 1945", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.belief", "label": "Philosophy, religion, and mythology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.belief" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.belief.religion", "label": "Religion and spirituality", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.belief.religion" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.belief.religion.people", "label": "Religious biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.belief.religion.people" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Shantananda Saraswati was the Shankaracharya of the Sharada Peeth Math at Dwarka, appointed by the Baroda State in 1917 to succeed Madhav Tirtha; his claim was contested in litigation until his death in 1926.", "snippet": "Shantananda Saraswati was the Shankaracharya of the Sharada Peeth Math at Dwarka, appointed by the Baroda State in 1917 to succeed Madhav Tirtha; his claim was contested in litigation until his death in 1926.", "node": "society.belief.religion.people.hindu_dharmic_gurus.shankara_lineage_jagadgurus", "markdown": "# Shantananda Saraswati\n\n**Shantananda Saraswati** (spelled Shantyanand Saraswati in the court record) was the holder of the gadi (seat) of the Sharada Peeth Math at Dwarka whom the [Baroda State](https://www.edgepedia.org/baroda-state) appointed on May 18, 1917 as successor to the Shankaracharya Madhav Tirtha, and who was installed at Dwarka on June 5, 1917[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). His appointment followed the death of Madhav Tirtha without a designated successor and was contested in litigation that lasted until his own death on February 16, 1926[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). The description of him as the 75th [Shankaracharya](https://www.edgepedia.org/shankaracharya) of the peetham, and the dating of his tenure as 1916–1925, rest on succession reckonings that the court record does not confirm; the court record gives 1917–1926[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Predecessor | Madhav Tirtha, last holder before the contested succession, died at Dakore on September 27, 1916 without designating his successor[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/) |\n| Appointment | Baroda State appointed Shantyanand Saraswati as successor on May 18, 1917; installed on the gadi at Dwarka June 5, 1917[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/) |\n| Contest | Suit No. 667 of 1917 by Rajrajeshvarashram (Appaji Ayya, Parmanand Swarup), claiming to be Madhav Tirtha's eldest disciple, sought to restrain him from styling himself Shankaracharya; a third claimant, Purnanand, also appeared[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/) |\n| Litigation | The District Judge's August 9, 1917 order handing the math property to Shantyanand was set aside by the High Court pending final determination of title[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/) |\n| End of tenure | The suit abated when Shantyanand, the Baroda Government's nominee, died on February 16, 1926[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/) |\n| Seat | Sharada Peetham at Dwarka, the western amnaya peetham of the four attributed to Adi Shankaracharya[2](https://dwarakasharadapeetham.org/sharada-peetham/) |\n| Mathamnaya attributions | Kitavara sampradaya; renunciant names Tirtha and Ashrama; Sama Veda; mahavakya \"tat tvam asi\"[3](https://sanatanbodh.in/en/directory/shankaracharya-peeth/) |\n\n## The Dwarka Sharada Peetham and the office of Shankaracharya\n\nThe peetham's own site presents the Dwaraka Sri Sharada Math in the West as one of the four Amnaya Peethams attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, with Jagadguru Sri Sureshwaracharya as its first Acharya[2](https://dwarakasharadapeetham.org/sharada-peetham/). The Dashanami-Samnyasis, the monastic order to which the peetham's heads belong, are one of the largest sects of sadhus in [South Asia](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-asia), and tradition attributes the sect's founding to Shankaracharya, whose floruit was most probably around 700 CE[4](https://brill.com/display/title/13041).\n\nAccording to the Mathamnaya as one specialist reference presents it, the Dwarka seat belongs to the Kitavara sampradaya, carries the renunciant names Tirtha and Ashrama, and is associated with the sacred place Dwarka, the god Siddheshvara, the goddess [Bhadrakali](https://www.edgepedia.org/bhadrakali), the holy water of the Gomati, the Samaveda, and the mahavakya \"tat tvam asi\"[3](https://sanatanbodh.in/en/directory/shankaracharya-peeth/). The same scheme distributes the ten Dashanami names among the four maths: Giri, Parvata, and Sagara to Jyotirmath; Sarasvati, Bharati, and Puri to Sringeri; Tirtha and Ashrama to Dwarka; Vana and Aranya to Puri[3](https://sanatanbodh.in/en/directory/shankaracharya-peeth/).\n\nIn law, the [Bombay High Court](https://www.edgepedia.org/bombay-high-court) applied the principle from *Ram Parkash Das v. Anand Das* (1916) that an asthal or math is an institution of a monastic nature, established for the service of a particular cult, the instruction in its tenets, and the observance of its rites[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/).\n\n## Life and succession, 1916–1926\n\n**The vacancy.** Madhav Tirtha, the last holder of the Sharada Peeth Math of Dwarka before the contested succession, died at Dakore on September 27, 1916 without designating his successor[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). After his death the Collector took possession of the math property and handed it to the District Judge under Regulation VIII of 1827; the District Judge issued a proclamation on October 17, 1916[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/).\n\n**Appointment and rivals.** In pursuance of the proclamation three claimants appeared: the later defendant, Shantyanand as the nominee of the Baroda Government, and Purnanand[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). The Baroda State appointed Shantyanand Saraswati as successor of Shankaracharya Madhav Tirtha on May 18, 1917, and he was installed on the gadi at Dwarka on June 5, 1917[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). A rival claimant, Rajrajeshvarashram, also called Appaji Ayya or Parmanand Swarup, claiming to be Madhav Tirtha's eldest disciple, filed suit No. 667 of 1917 seeking to restrain Shantyanand from styling himself Shankaracharya[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/).\n\n**Litigation.** The District Judge's order of August 9, 1917 handing the math property to Shantyanand was set aside by the High Court (Scott C.J. and Shah J.) pending final determination of title among the competing claimants[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). The plaintiff's case was that the Acharya designates a successor approved by the Baroda Government, and that in the absence of such designation the Baroda Government has power to nominate; the defendant contended that the successor is elected by custom without needing appointment at Dwarka[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). Nothing effective was done in the suit until February 16, 1926, when Shantyanand, the nominee of the Baroda Government, died, and the suit against him abated[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/).\n\nThe Mathamnaya attributions listed above belong to the seat, not to him personally[3](https://sanatanbodh.in/en/directory/shankaracharya-peeth/).\n\n## Colonial and princely context\n\nThe succession ran through colonial institutions. [The Collector](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-collector)'s seizure of the property and the District Judge's proclamation under Regulation VIII of 1827 placed the vacancy in the hands of the British-administered courts of the [Bombay Presidency](https://www.edgepedia.org/bombay-presidency), while the litigants disputed the Baroda Government's role in the succession: the plaintiff's case was that in the absence of a designation the Baroda Government has power to nominate, and the defendant contended that the successor is elected by custom without needing appointment[1](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/). More broadly, endowments legislation of the period had enabled the autonomy of maths by classifying them as private religious corporations rather than charitable endowments, and a math reform campaign between 1920 and 1940 in north India was impelled by preoccupations with dana (gifting) and competing visions of Hindu sangathan[5](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-asian-studies/article/abs/gurus-and-gifting-dana-the-math-reform-campaign-and-competing-visions-of-hindu-sangathan-in-twentiethcentury-india/0D3E532E0471C31C231694293E1B8E20).\n\n## How it compares with the other amnaya peethas\n\nThe traditional belief, as reported in later journalism, is that Adi Shankaracharya established four mathas: Badrikashram Jyotirpeeth in the north, Dwarka's Sharada Peeth in the west, Govardhan Peetha in Puri in the east, and [Sringeri Sharada Peetham](https://www.edgepedia.org/sringeri-sharada-peetham) in [Karnataka](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnataka)[6](https://www.navhindtimes.in/2022/09/13/nationalnews/dwarka-and-jyotish-peeths-get-new-shankaracharyas/).\n\nThe peethams themselves disagree on the first Acharya of Dwarka. The Dwarka peetham's own site names [Sureshwaracharya](https://www.edgepedia.org/sureshwaracharya) as the first Acharya of the Dwaraka Sri Sharada Math in the West[2](https://dwarakasharadapeetham.org/sharada-peetham/), while Sringeri's official account names Sri Padmapadacharya as the Acharya of the Dwaraka Math in the West, with Sureshwaracharya at Sringeri, Totakacharya at Jyotir Math in the North, and Hastamalakacharya at Govardhana Math in the East[7](https://www.srisharadapeetham.com/history/amnaya-peethams). The Mathamnaya, for its part, names Hastamalaka as the teacher of the Dwarka seat[3](https://sanatanbodh.in/en/directory/shankaracharya-peeth/).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Shri Sharada Peeth Math vs Shri Rajrajeshvarashram on 3 November, 1931 (Bombay High Court), Indian Kanoon](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1667776/)\n2. [Sharada Peetham, Dwaraka Sharada Peetham official site](https://dwarakasharadapeetham.org/sharada-peetham/)\n3. [Shankaracharya 4 Math Names: Jyotirmath, Sringeri, Dwarka and Puri, Sanatanbodh directory](https://sanatanbodh.in/en/directory/shankaracharya-peeth/)\n4. [The Daśanāmī-Saṃnyāsīs – The Integration of Ascetic Lineages into an Order, Brill](https://brill.com/display/title/13041)\n5. [Gurus and Gifting: Dana, the math reform campaign, and competing visions of Hindu sangathan in twentieth-century India, Modern Asian Studies](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-asian-studies/article/abs/gurus-and-gifting-dana-the-math-reform-campaign-and-competing-visions-of-hindu-sangathan-in-twentiethcentury-india/0D3E532E0471C31C231694293E1B8E20)\n6. [Dwarka and Jyotish peeths get new Shankaracharyas, Press Trust of India via Navhind Times, 13 September 2022](https://www.navhindtimes.in/2022/09/13/nationalnews/dwarka-and-jyotish-peeths-get-new-shankaracharyas/)\n7. [The Amnaya Peethams, Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham](https://www.srisharadapeetham.com/history/amnaya-peethams)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Philosophy, religion, and mythology › Religion and spirituality › Religious biographies › Jewish, Islamic, and Dharmic religious leaders › Sikh Gurus and Hindu/Dharmic teachers › Hindu, Sant Mat, and modern Dharmic gurus › Shankara-tradition seat holders and jagadgurus*\n\n*Initially written Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Shantananda Saraswati\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Shantananda Saraswati](https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati](https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Shantananda Saraswati\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/shantananda-saraswati. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Shantananda Saraswati was the Shankaracharya of the Sharada Peeth Math at Dwarka, appointed by the Baroda State in 1917 to succeed Madhav Tirtha; his claim was contested in litigation until his death in 1926." }