Context:

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister will unveil a grand statue of  Saint Adi Shankaracharya in Omkareshwar on 21 September 2023.

More on News:  

• The 108-foot-tall statue dedicated to the 8th-century philosopher, an influential and revered figure in Hinduism, has been named “Ekatmata Ki Pratima” (Statue of Oneness).
• The towering structure is perched atop the Mandhata hill on the banks of the Narmada river in Omkareshwar in Khandwa district.
• The temple town of Omkareshwar is home to one of Lord Shiva’s 12 Jyotirlingas and is now envisioned as a global hub for the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.
•  It was in Omkareshwar where Adi Shankaracharya — who traveled all the way from Kerala — met his Guru Govind Bhagwadapad and stayed for four years to receive his education.

About Adi Shankaracharya:

• Adi Shankaracharya also called  Shankara (Born in 738 AD, Kaladi village, in Kerala) was a Devotee of Shiva, Philosopher and Theologian, and the most renowned exponent of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy.He wrote commentaries on the Brahma-sutra, (the principal Upanishads), and the Bhagavadgita and   Gayatri Mantra among others.
• Shankara also authored Upadesasahasri, his most important original philosophical work.
• He established four Mathas in the four cardinal directions of Bharat to spread his teachings.
  • Jyotirmath: Joshimathi Chomoli, Uttarakhand.
  • Shringeri Math: Chikmagalur, Karnataka.
  • Govardhan Math: Puri, Odisha.
  • Dwarka Math: Dwarka, Gujrat.

Source: Deccan Herald