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Jyotirmath

Jyotirmath, also known as Jyotir Math, is one of the four cardinal Hindu monastic centers or mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya to preserve and propagate his doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. The matha is located in Joshimath (historically called Jyotirmath) in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, northern India, near the Badrinath area.

According to tradition, Shankaracharya founded four mathas around the 8th century CE to organize a pan-Indian

The matha oversees a network of monasteries, educational establishments, endowments, and temple activities. Its work includes

Notes on founding dates and historical details vary among sources, but Jyotirmath remains a central institution

order
of
renunciants,
known
as
the
Dashanami
Sampradaya,
and
to
ensure
the
continuity
of
Vedantic
scholarship
and
temple
rites
across
the
country.
The
other
three
mathas
are
located
at
Sringeri
in
the
south,
Dwarka
in
the
west,
and
Puri
in
the
east.
Jyotirmath
serves
as
the
northern
seat
of
this
lineage
and
is
headed
by
a
Shankaracharya,
who
acts
as
the
peetadhipati
and
senior
pontiff
within
the
Dashanami
tradition.
Vedantic
instruction,
scriptural
study,
and
the
supervision
of
religious
ceremonies
and
pilgrim
correspondence
in
the
region.
While
focused
on
Advaita
Vedanta,
Jyotirmath
engages
in
broader
religious
and
cultural
initiatives
in
keeping
with
the
Smarta
tradition
and
the
broader
aims
of
the
Shankaracharyas.
in
the
lineage
attributed
to
Adi
Shankaracharya.
See
also
Adi
Shankaracharya;
Dashanami
Sampradaya;
List
of
Hindu
mathas.