ABSTRACT
Shankaracharya and Ramanuja are two directors of Hindu religion. Both combined saintly purity with Shastric learning and intellectual acumen of the highest degree; both have continued to be venerated by millions as two incarnations of the God-head. So much for Shankar's place in the history of the evolution of Indian philosophy. His influence on the daily life of the people has been equally great, and this marks him out from mere abstract philosophers, however, eminent such philosophers might be in thought. Shankar persuaded his mother to set him free and work out his evident destiny. Shankar was seized with a longing to meet Kumarila Bhatta, the first great Hindu scholar who had raised his head against the dominant Buddhistic philosophy and tried to restore the supremacy of the Vedic religion. Shankar Acharya settled here as directed by the image of Saradamma or Saraswati; which he had brought from Kashmir. There are 120 temples in this sacred village.
