Shree Adi Shankaracharya’s journey from Kalady to Joshimath 

Adi Shankaracharya through debate, discourse and over the course of his life revived Hinduism and heralded a new era for its expression.

His position within the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta is unparalleled. He organized the worship of the deities Surya, Shiva, Vishnu, Devi and Ganesh. The echoes of the hymns and shlokas he composed in their honor still resonate right from Kalady to Kedarnath.

The holy places he visited still remain central sites of pilgrimage in Hinduism. Adi Shankara, apart from setting up four renowned madhas across India (Dwarka, Puri, Sringeri and Joshimath) is also said to have renovated the route to the Himalayan Char Dhams (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri).

The Crocodile Ghat on the bank of the river Periyar earned its name from a belief associated with Adi Shankara. It is believed one day while bathing in the river, young Adi Shankara was caught by a crocodile who would not release him until he was given permission by his mother to become a Sanyasi.

So vast have been the travels of this great saint that from every corner of the subcontinent can one journey in his footsteps. The Adi Shankara traversed the entire length and breadth of India; in this regard, we, as pilgrims of the 21st century, can retrace this trail of his — from Kalady (Adi Shankaracharya’s place of birth in Kerala) to Kedarnath (his samadhi sthal in Uttarakhand) by visiting some of the prominent religious places of worship he traveled through (in some instances established), regardless of where we begin within the boundaries of Bharat.Starting from Kedarnath, the Char Dhams, Haridwar and Joshimath in Uttarakhand, pilgrims can choose to proceed down south either via Dwarka to Gokarna and onwards or via Kamarupa and Puri to Andhra Pradesh and further.

West: The Land of Krishna

The journey here begins in Gujarat from the land of Krishna — Dwarka (within which also rests the Nageshwar jyotirlinga) after which pilgrims may proceed to seek the blessings of the jyotirlinga at Somnath.

Then travel to Madhya Pradesh to visit the holy cities of Ujjain (Mahakaleshwar jyotirlinga), and to Uttar Pradesh to Prayagraj and Varanasi and follow the previously enumerated route to Kedarnath and one day ultimately to Kashmir.

After this, they visit Kamarupa in the northeast, proceed to Puri and move south via Andhra Pradesh.

East: Kamarupa

In the northeast, the pilgrimage starts from Kamarupa in Guwahati, Assam. Here in the Nilachal Hills lies the Kamakhya temple of the Sakta order. It is the oldest of the 51 shakti peethas. Within the temple premises lies a mandap dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya.

From here, the journey could progress via the holy cities of Varanasi and Prayagraj all the way to Kedarnath, after which the pilgrims via Dwarka and Somnath move southwards to Gokarna.

Many more sacred sites dot the path traveled by Adi Shankara; not all may have found mention here, but they certainly are places where the devout can seek solace and blessings.

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi said : “There’s a tradition in our country to worship the Jyotirlingas (major Shiva temples), Shakti Peeths (Siddhi), Asht-Vinayak (Ganesh). It’s considered a part of our life…. This pilgrimage is not a mere visit… it’s a lively tradition of uniting Bharat.”

Adi Shankaracharya united a fragmented civilisation with seemingly irreconcilable philosophies. Thereafter, despite centuries of brutal invasions and imperialism, these sacred sites of worship have not only survived but have prospered and thrived.

Avanamkode Saraswathi Temple is a famous Swayambhu Saraswati Temple, one of the 108 forts dedicated to Shree Adi Shankaracharya and built by Parasurama. It is believed that Adi Shankara did his Vidyarambam in this Temple before beginning his journey to become a Sanyasi. Temple located near Nedumbassery Airport of Ernakulam district in Kerala.

Shree Adi Shankaracharya’s disciple Hasthamalakacharya started the Vadakke Madham Brahmaswam or popularly known as Brahmaswam Madham. It is one of the four ancient South Indian Madhams that propagate ‘Advaita’ or nondualism. It is located in Thrissur city (also known as the cultural capital of Kerala) in Kerala, India.

At Kedarnath, a Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Adi Sankara is thought to have passed away at the age of 32. According to the texts, he was last seen by his followers going across the Himalayas till he could not be found, behind the Kedarnath shrine.

He left all worldly pleasures at a very young age to follow the path to attain moksha.

He considered the world around us to be an illusion or maya, and preached renunciation of the world and adoption of the path of knowledge to understand the true nature of Brahman and attain salvation.

It is only fitting for Hindus to pay tribute to their glorious inheritance by continuing the tradition of pilgrimage to these holy destinations.