Shrimad Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya

Adi Shankara, born in Kaladi, Kerala, which thus turned sacred, was the revered guru, theologian and philosopher, preached the Advaita Vedanta. From a very early age, Shankara was drawn towards the sagely life. Legend has it that his Upanayanam, the sacred thread ceremony for Brahmin youngsters, was performed by his mother owing to the untimely demise of his father. Also, when he was about eight, while bathing in the river, Shankara is trapped by a crocodile and pleads with his mother that the crocodile will only spare him if she were to allow him to become a sanyasin. His mother agrees.
His works and teachings discusses the unity of 'Atman with Niguna Brahman' meaning 'Brahman without attributes'. Adi Shankara travelled widely throughout the country propagating his cause and explained the essence of Hinduism through discourses. This work shows Adi Shankaracharya with his disciples on the banks of a river.