Kaladi

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

---

Kalady (कालडि) is a town located in Angamaly east of the Periyar river, it is also a village in Aluva Taluk, Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is notable as the birthplace of 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian Adi Shankara.

Origin

In the local language, Malayalam, Kalady means "footprint." The village was previously called Sasalam. Almost all traditional and hagiographical sources maintain that Kalady was Shankara's birthplace. It is situated on the banks of river Periyar. The place is believed to have been found by a chieftain named Rajasekara, whose dream was influenced by god Shiva. He also built a temple for Shiva at this place and made a settlement for Brahmins. There are two temples in the place - one for Saradamba and other for Shankara as Dakshinamurthi. Sringeri Mutt and Kanchi Mutt have their branches here. A 45 m (148 ft) tall Adi Sankara Kirti Stamba Mandapa was built by Kanchi Mutt under the aegis of its pontiff Chandrasekarendra Saraswati. A Sanskrit University is run by Sringeri Mutt in the place.

Variants

• Kaladi (कालडि) (केरल) (AS, p.177)
• Kalady

History

Kalady came to prominence only after its rediscovery in the late 19th century by the then Shankaracharya of Sringeri and the subsequent consecration of an Adi Shankara temple in 1910. The centenary of Kalady was celebrated in May 2010, and the story of its re-discovery a hundred years ago has been documented in a film by the Sringeri Sharada Peetham.[2]

कालडि (केरल)

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर ने लेख किया है ...कालडि (केरल) (AS, p.177) दक्षिण के प्रसिद्ध दार्शनिक आदि शंकराचार्य की जन्मभूमि. शंकर का जन्म 8वीं या 9वीं शती ई. में हुआ था.