Shankaracharya concludes statewide Yatra, announces upcoming agitation

Metro India News | VARANASI 

Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, head of the Jyotish Peeth, arrived in Varanasi after completing the 81-day Gavishti Dharmayuddha Yatra, a statewide campaign dedicated to the protection of cows. The yatra, which began in Gorakhpur, passed through all 403 Assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh before culminating in a Gau Garjana Mahasabha in Lucknow, where an upcoming movement for cow protection was announced.

The Shankaracharya received a grand welcome from devotees and saints upon his arrival in Varanasi. Responding to the requests of devotees, he traveled through the Harishchandra Ghat route before reaching Shri Vidya Math. At Shri Vidya Math, the monastery's in-charge, Brahmachari Paramatmanand offered prayers amid Vedic chants to welcome the Shankaracharya.

According to Sanjay Pandey, media in-charge for the Shankaracharya, the seer will remain in Varanasi from the 24th to the 27th, during which several spiritual and religious events will be organized under his guidance. The Shankaracharya is scheduled to leave on the 28th for Sapad Laksheshwar Dham in Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh, where he will observe the two-month Chaturmas religious retreat and undertake associated rituals. As he will not be in Varanasi during Guru Purnima this year, devotees have expressed happiness at getting the opportunity to offer their respects and perform the Charan Paduka Pujan before the festival.