Who was Shankaracharya? Briefly state the philosophy propagated by him and his role in spreading Vedic religion in India.

Shankaracharya was one of the most influential philosophers of India. He was born in a simple Brahmin family approximately in the 8th century CE in Kaladi, Kerala. He is regarded as the incarnation of Lord Shiva. He was spiritually inclined since childhood and under the tutelage of Swami Govindpada, he mastered different forms of yoga and gained the knowledge of Brahman. Thereafter, he was known as Adi Shankaracharya whose sole purpose of life was to spread the teachings of Brahmasutra all over the world.

Shankaracharya believed in the philosophy of 'Advaita' or ' non-dualism' i.e., the doctrine of the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God, which is the ultimate Reality. He preached that Brahman, the only or Ultimate Reality, is formless, without any attributes. He said that in order to understand the true nature of Brahman and to attain salvation, one has to renounce the world and adapt the path of knowledge.

Shankaracharya cleansed the Vedic religious practices of ritualistic excesses and ushered in the core teachings of Vedanta, i.e., Advaita. Shankara restructured some old religious practices into acceptable norms and stressed on the ways of worship as laid down in the Vedas. He established four mutts in four corners of India. Each mutt was assigned one Veda. The mutts are:

1. Jyothir Mutt at Badrinath with Atharva Veda.
2. Sarada Mutt at Sringeri with Yajur Veda.
3. Govardhan Mutt at Jagannath Puri with Rig Veda.
4. Kalika Mutt at Dwarka with Sama Veda.