Akharas to meet to discuss 'fake' Shankaracharyas

ALLAHABAD: The supreme governing body of akharas or monastic orders, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, would be meeting at Haridwar on November 7 to chalk out a strategy to address the controversial issue of 'fake Shankaracharyas' so as to stop their entry in Ardh Kumbh-2018 fair in Allahabad.
As per the scriptures, Adi Shankaracharya had set up four 'peeths'(chairs) of Shankaracharya in Joshimath in Chamoli (Himachal Pradesh), Govardhan Math in Puri (Odisha), Sringeri Sharda Peetham in Chickmagalur (Karnataka) and Dwarika Peeth in the district of Dwarka (Gujarata).
However, with time, due to infighting in the monastic orders, around a dozen Shankaracharyas cropped up. The issue of fake seers and Shankaracharyas comes up every Kumbh and ardh-Kumbh but due to divided akharas, the seers were unable to come to a conclusion over the controversy. President of the All India Akhara Parishad Narendra Giri said the issue is ruining the image of seers and everyone wants a quick solution of the issue.
"This is for the first time that there is a meeting called by the akharas themselves to identify only four Shankaracharyas. Apart from this, there are proposals of giving identity cards to saints of lower order in akharas to remove imposters which has been accepted in principle by all the akharas as all wants to remove the anti-scial elements," he said.
He said the controversy is quite old and it erupts during the Kumbh or ardh-Kumbh fairs only when Shankaracharyas assemble at a place for royal bath (shahi snan). It is during this time that 'fake Shankaracharyas' reach the mela and pitch their tents, resulting in chaos and confusion among the administration and governments as they are entrusted with alloting seers land and special facilities.
It may be mentioned here that during 2013 Mahakumbh in Allahabad, the mela administration denied permission of allotting 'chatushpath' or specially allotted land for four Shankaracharyas due to presence of more than four seers.
The akharas would also be maintaining a database of seers belonging to it. Over six lakh sanyasis comprise these 13 akharas. Many of these sants of akharas are also based in foreign shores.