Bharathi Teertha Mahaswami

Jagadguru Bharathi Tirtha Mahaswamiji , (Purvashrama name Seetharama Anjaneyalu) (born 3 April 1951), is an Indian religious leader who is the current and 36th Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, an important Hindu monastery in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta established by Sri Adi Shankara.

Early life and career

Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji was born 03 April 1951 to a Telugu Smartha family from Narasaraopet, Andhra Pradesh.

He was a religiously minded child. His upanayana ceremony was performed when he was seven years of age. In addition to schooling, he spent his time studying Sanskrit and took lessons in the Vedas from his father who himself was a Vedic scholar.

In the year 1966, at the age of 15, Anjaneyalu approached the 35th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji, seeking religious guidance from him. Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji accepted Brahmachari Seetharama Anjaneyalu as the disciple.

Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji appointed Brahmachari Seetharama Anjaneyalu as the successor-designate on the 11 November 1974, when Anjaneyalu received saffron robes, a staff, and a kamandalu (water pot). The newly initiated sannyasi was given the title of Yogapatta Sri Bharati Tirtha in line with the Dashanami Sampradaya of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya.

As part of the tradition, Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji undertakes tours to different places in order to offer guidance to the devotees. The most recent tour took place in 2017 and spanned Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.