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International Research Journal of Social Sciences______________________________________ ISSN 2319–3565 Vol. 4(7), 24-28, July (2015) Int. Res. J. Social Sci. Adi Shankaracharya: The Architect of Pilgrimage Tourism in India Kumar Pardeep 1 and Sangeeta 2 1Department of Tourism, K.M. Govt. P.G. College, Narwana, Haryana, INDIA 2Department of Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, INDIA Available online at: www.isca.in Received 9th May 2015, revised 13 th June 2015, accepted 10 th July 2015 Abstract Travel in the past was not an easy task. There are numerous historical records which show that danger from dacoits, illness and wild animals were major resistance to travel form one court to another. Yet, there was a man of action during the time of 8 th and 9 th century who not only traveled from north to south and east to west to all major places of then India, but also propounded such a system of travel and tourism in which people have to travel throughout the country in all four directions to complete their sacred journey. He was none other than the great Indian philosopher, popularly known as Adi Shankaracharya. He was also a great thinker of scientific outlook. The focus of present paper is to access his personality as an architect who wove such a web of Indian pilgrimage tourism system which attracts the people from every nook and corner still today. Keyword: Shankara, Mutt, Travel and Tourism, Pilgrimage, India. Introduction century but in the dark days of the 8 th and 9 th century when the only means of locomotion was walking or the bullock cart. Even with the most modern and fast moving means of transport, automobiles, railway trains and aero plane and all He was not only a wandering Sanyasin of the highest order but the facilities and amenities that go a long way in making travel the founder of Pilgrimage tourism in India. Besides making both quick and comfortable, how many of us have seen the number of efforts to enrich this type of tourism, he also whole of India? There is a vast network of roads and railways established the pilgrimage sites of Badarinath, Puri, Dwarka lines with numerous bridges and tunnels which enables us to and Rameshwarm in each of the four directions of India i.e. cross thick forests, high mountains and turbulent rivers with the North, the East, the West and the South respectively. ease and make any part of the country readily accessible, but Based on these pilgrimage sites, which hold regional how many of us have visited the four corners of our country? uniqueness Shankara made a religious law to visit these places by a Hindu at least once in his lifetime. Thus, the system of This query may prove rather embarrassing to most of us even pilgrimage tourism (popularly known as Chaar-dhaam yatra) st in this 21 century for the simple reason that, in nine cases out which he founded, have bound together the whole of India by of ten, the answer is likely to be in the negative. Yet, there had a deep sense of cultural unity. been a great man, not ten or twenty years but about twelve hundred years back when there were none of things mentioned Objective: The present study has certain research objectives. above, who traversed the length and breadth of this vast They are as follow: i. To present the life of Shankara as a life country on foot in a very short span of life, this great traveler of travel till his end, ii. To analyze the works of Shankara as was the greatest Sanskrit scholar and philosopher that the an instrument for developing and promoting Pilgrimage country has produced. He is well known to all by the name of Tourism in India, iii. To conclude the life of Shankara who Adi Shankaracharya. truly deserve to be called as an architect of Indian Tourism. The life of Shankara was spent as a wandering Sanyasin of the Methodology highest order (parivrajak) who wandered the country breaking geographical barriers, who had transcended all distinctions of The study is generally exploratory in nature with historical caste, color and creed, all these travels were made with the context and is based on the secondary data. The secondary object of preaching and teaching his philosophy of monism. data was collected from various sources of publications such He attracted big crowds wherever he went and held discussion as books, journals, Research articles and online data sources. with eminent erudite of his age. He traveled all over India from Kashmir and Badri in the north to Kerala and Kanchi in Review of Literature: Dr. C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer: within the south and from Assam in the east to Dwarka in the west. the short compass of thirty and odd year, Shankara travelled This he did, not in the days of travel facilities of the 21 st throughout India and demonstrated his marvelous organizing capacity by the establishment of mutts in all the four quarter. International Science Congress Association 24 International Research Journal of Social Sciences____________________________________________________ ISSN 2319–3565 Vol. 4(7), 24-28, July (2015) Int. Res. J. Social Sci. Harprakash (1993): even in those days with very few he called his mother and asked for permission to take sanyasa. facilities, Shankara traveled widely all over India. He covered Seeing the son’s life in danger, the mother reluctantly gave practically all the important places in the country in all the him permission. Only then, it is said, did the crocodile release four directions. He sent his disciples wherever he himself his leg from its jaws 3. Now Shankara was free to take couldn’t go. sanayasa, he, however consoled and assured her that he would come to see her whenever she was in need. He then took her AL Basham in his famous book ‘The Wonder that was India’ blessings and left home in search of a Guru. Wandering about, states that in 9 th century, the great theologian Shankara he reached the asharam of Sri Govind Bhagavatapad, the chief traveled the length and breadth of India. disciple of Sri Gaudapad on the bank of river Narmada. Deeply impressed by Shankara’s spirit of renunciation, his Romila Thapar: the mutts were established at Badrinath in quest for knowledge and his sharp intellect, Sri Govind Himalaya, Puri in Odisha, Dwarka at west coast and Sringeri Bhagavatapad readily accepted him as his disciple. He stayed in south. These places were those where pilgrims used to visit in the asharam for three years. Fully satisfied by the progress in large number. made by his eminent disciple, Sri Govind conferred on him the title of Acharya. Thus, Shankara became Shankaracharya at Early life and preparation for his comprehensive tour to the age of eleven. His guru then asked him to go to Kashi India: According to Dr. S. Radhakrishanan and many other (Varanasi), it was because if anyone wanted to propound a hagiographical and historical writers, Shankara was born in new system of thought or start a new movement, he had to go 788 A.D. in a small village named Kalady situated on the bank to Varanasi and acquit himself creditably there in the assembly of the river Purna in Kerala. Maxmuller and Prof. Macdonell of learned scholars 4. Shankaracharya was now ready to also hold the same date. That, he flourished in the first quarter proceed the city of Varanasi. of the 9 th century is also the opinion of Prof. Keith. His father’s name was Shivaguru, a Nambudri Brahmin and his Travels of Shankara to various parts of India: Shankara mother’s Aryamba. Both were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva 1. covered practically all the important places of the country in Believing that he was born because of the grace of Lord Shiva all the four directions. He sent his disciples wherever he his parents named him Shankara. Unfortunately his father himself could not go. Although, it is worth noting that expired when he was only three years old and he was brought Shankara himself didn’t write about his travels or the times but up by his mother. Shankara was a precocious child. He was for a student of tourism, however, much of the details and gifted with the sharp intellect and a remarkable memory. In his reconstruction of Shankara’s journey appears to be based on childhood, his mother used to narrate stories from the epics biographical accounts compiled by some of his disciples. and the puranas. These, the child Shankara would memorize within no time. At the age of five she sent him to a Gurukul It was in obedience to the wish of his guru that Shankara where he made rapid progress in his studies of the Vedas and proceeded first of all to Kashi (Varanasi). The city was both a other scriptures. After two years, he returned home with a very place of pilgrimage and a very important center of learning. wide vision of life. It is worth noting that even at the tender After reaching Varanasi, Shankara took bath in the holy age of eight; he had a spiritual bent of mind. Deeply impressed Ganges and prayed at the temple of Sri Vishwanatha. by the intellect and learning of Shankara, King Rajashekhar of Chidvilasa tells us that the king of Varanasi wished that Cochin offered hi m riches and a position of honor at his court. Shankara should stay with him and be his spiritual guide but The spirit of renunciation was however, so dominant in he declined the offer. From Varanasi Shankara proceeded to Shankara that he politely declined.

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