Jayendra Saraswathi

Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal (born July 18, 1935 as Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer) is the 69th Shankaracharya (guru and head or pontiff (Peetadhipathi)) of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.



Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer was nominated by his predecessor, Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamigal as his successor and was given the title Sri Jayendra Saraswathi on March 22, 1954. He is one of the leading controversial religious figures in Hinduism today.

On account of his sacerdotal office and his profound knowledge of the Hindu religion, he commands wide respect in India, particularly in religious Hindu Brahmin circles. The Kanchi Math has grown into a strong organization under him. Further, the Kanchi Mutt is also widely patronised by many NRIs, particularly from the U.S.A. The Kanchi Mutt runs many schools, eye clinics and hospitals, Shankara Nethralaya in Chennai and Guwahati, Assam, and the Children's Hospital, Hindu Mission Hospital and the Tamil Nadu Hospital.

The Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu enacted a law to ban religious conversion, in keeping with the Shankaracharya's oft-expressed concerns. echoing concerns raised by the pontiff.

He was arrested on November 11, 2004 and charged by state prosecutors to being a conspirator in the murder of a temple manager, Sankararaman. On January 10, 2005, he was able to secure bail from the......
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