Sankaracharyan.
/ʃʌŋkərɑːˈtʃɑːrɪə/ The name and title of Sankara Acharya, a famous teacher of Vedānta philosophy (probably of the eighth century a.d.), used as the title of one of various Indian religious teachers and leaders.
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society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > various non-Christian superiors > [noun] > Indian
guru1613
destour1630
Maharishi1785
acharya1789
mahant1801
Hanuman1814
Sankaracharya1947
1947 K. M. Pannikar Surv. Indian Hist. xii. 133 Soon, however, especially after the disappearance of Buddhism, the Mutts became centres of luxury like the great abbeys and the Sankaracharyas who presided over them assumed pontifical dignities.
1960 A. Koestler Lotus & Robot i. 54 The nearest to an authoritative position..was attributed to the five Sankaracharyas, leaders of an important Traditionalist sect.
1969 Cultural News from India Nov. 43 The annual Agama Silpa Vidwat Sadas inaugurated a few years ago by the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam bids fair to be an event of increasing importance and to establish a wholesome tradition.
1977 Times 20 Jan. 6/8 India's mass spectacle of faith during the Kumbh Mela Fair started before dawn... Many sages—sankaracharayas, nahatmas [sic] and guru—rode on elephants or in chariots.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1982; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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n.1947