In the southern
Indian city of Kanchipuram, a significant location for the Dashanami sect of
Sanyasi ascetics.
According to local legend, the philosopher Shankaracharya
founded the Kamakotipith, the earliest and most significant of the maths or
monastic centers.
He then created four other centers at Joshimath, Puri,
Shringeri, and Dwaraka.
This claim to primacy has sparked heated debate.
Opponents who favor one of the other four mathematics reject
Kamakotipith's status as the first of the maths and claim that Kamakotipith is
really a branch of the Shringeri Mutt.
The symbolism associated with the number four—the four
cardinal directions, the four holy scriptures known as Vedas, and the four
organizational groupings of the Dashanami Sanyasis themselves—supports these
arguments.
The number four represents wholeness and completion, making
a fifth holy center problematic.
Regardless of their validity, these claims have had little
effect on Kamakotipith's standing.
It has a long history as an ascetic center, and its head
monk is often regarded as one of the most prominent contemporary Hindu
religious leaders, the Shankaracharyas.
The significance of Kamakotipith parallels the significance
of Kanchipuram itself, which was such a prominent holy and political center
that any ascetic center established there might obtain great status.
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