Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya (, , "Shankara-"acharya"") is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of teachers dating back to him are known as Shankaracharyas. Establishment of the tradition. According to a tradition developed in the 16th century, Adi Shankara set up four monasteries known as Mathas or Peethams, in the North, South, East and West of India, to be held by realised men who would be known as Shankaracharyas. They would take on the role of teacher and could be consulted by  anyone with sincere queries of a spiritual nature. The table below gives an overview of the four Amnaya Mathas founded by Adi Shankara, and their details. Etymology. The word Shankaracharya is composed of two parts, Shankara and Acharya. Acharya is a Sanskrit word meaning "teacher", so Shankaracharya means "teacher of the way of Shankara".