Sant community applies brake on fake religious chiefs

Hardwar, Jan 28 (UNI) In a bid to stop the increasing number of fake chiefs of the different sects of the Hindu religion, the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad warned all the sants not to use unauthorised religious titles such as Shankaracharya, Mandleshwar and Mahamandleshwar, before their names.

The Parishad also issued a list of the five approved Shankarcharyas, and the four Ramanandacharyas in a meeting held here yesterday.

National president of the Parishad Mahant Gyan Dass and general secretary Mahant Hari Giri told reporters that the Parishad recognised Swami Vasudevanand as the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Peeth, Swami Bharti Teerth that of Shringeri Peeth, Swami Swaroopanand Swarswati that of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Nishchhalanand Swarswati that of Puri Peeth and Swami Jayendra Sarswati that of Kanchi sub Peeth.

''Besides Swami Hariyacharya is the duly appointed Ramanandacharya of Kashi Peeth, Jagatguru Rambhadracharya that of Chitrakoot Peeth, Jagatguru Ayodhyacharya that of Narsingh Peeth of Hardwar and Jagatguru Narendracharya that of Naneez Peeth of Maharashtra. The fake Shankracharyas and Mandeleshwars and Mahamandleshwars will not be allowed to take royal processions for the purpose of a holy dip in the Ganga in the Kumbh mela to be held in Hardwar in 2010,'' they added.

The Parishad also rejected the title of Parvatyacharya, a woman counter part of Shankaracharya, conferred recently at Hardwar on a woman sant by another woman sant.

To protect the purity of the Ganga the Parishad accepted in principle the demand of the administration and some social organisations to give Bhoo Samadhi (burial) instead of Jal Samadhi (immersion in water) to the dead bodies of the sants, provided the administration allotted them 100 acres of land for the purpose.

UNI XC LPB ND1518