Jyotirmath

Joshimath
—  city  —
Joshimath Location of Joshimath in Uttarakhand and India
Coordinates	30°34′N 79°34′E
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand
District(s)	Chamoli
Population	13,202 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

Jyotirmath (Hindi: ज्योतिर मठ), also called Jyotir Math and Joshimath (जोशी मठ), is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is home to one of the four cardinal pīthas established by Adi Shankara.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Joshimath had a population of 13,202. Males constitute 61% of the population and females 39%. Joshimath has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 67%. In Joshimath, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The matha

Jyotirmath is the uttarāmnāya matha or northern monastery, one of the four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankara, the others being those at Shringeri, Puri and Dwaraka. Their heads are titled "Shankaracharya". According to the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara, this matha is in charge of the Atharvaveda.

Jyotirmath Lord Narasimhar Temple

Jyotirmath, which is close to the pilgrimage town of Badrinath, has not always been an active matha. It is sometimes said incorrectly that the original northern matha was established at Badrinath. This place can be a base station for travellers going to Guru Gobind Ghat or the Valley of Flowers National Park.

Jyotirmath established by Adi Sankara

In its most recent history, the Jyotirmath became inactive in the early 19th century. The formal occupation of the matha was restarted with the aid of the heads of some of the other mathas from about 1940 onward. However, there is an unresolved controversy over the succession to the headship of Jyotirmath. The best known of the claimants to be the current head or shankaracharya is Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī who is also head of the Dvaraka Pitha. The other two claimants are Vāsudevānanda Sarasvatī and Mādhavāśrama.

Ropeway at Joshimath to Auli, Uttarakhand

The Narasimha Temple

In the temple for Narasimha, is enshrined Badrinarayan along with a pantheon of deities. The presiding deity Lord Narasimha is believed to have been established by Adi Sankara. It is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu reverred by the 12 poet-saints or Alvars.

See also

• Shri Gaudapadacharya Math
• Gauḍapāda
• Govinda Bhagavatpada
• Adi Shankara
• Mandukya Upanishad
• Advaita Vedanta

External links

• Photos of Shankaracharya Swami Brahmanand Saraswati Shri Jyotishpeethodwarak Brahmleen Jagadguru Bhagwan Shankaracharya Shrimad Swami Brahmanand Saraswatiji Maharaj of Jyotirmath, Badrikashram
• Life and Works of Adi Shankara
• Shri Shankaracharya Upadesh Amrita 108 Hindi quotations of Shankaracharya Swami Brahmanand Saraswati
• Amrita-Kana' (Droplets of Nectar) Short quotations of Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswati
• Booklet of 30 short quotations of Shankaracharya Swami Brahmanand Saraswati translated into English language Booklet of Quotations
• The Jyotirmath Sankaracharya Lineage in the 20th Century About the succession controversy at Jyotirmath
• Quotations of 'Guru Dev' Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Ji Miscellaneous list of quotations of Shri Jyotishpeethodwarak Brahmleen Jagadguru Bhagwan Shankaracharya Shrimad Swami Brahmanand Saraswatiji Maharaj of Jyotirmath, Badrikashram
• Quotations of Guru Dev Quotations of 'Guru Dev' Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Ji.
• An account of the four amnaya mathas An account of the four amnaya mathas, and the Dashanamī parampāra.

Related link

• Quotations from Shankaracharya Swami Brahmananda Saraswati