Adi Shankaracharya (e

Adi Shankara (8th century CE), often referred to as Adi Shankaracharya (Sanskrit: आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, romanized: Ādi Śaṅkara, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya), meaning 'First Shankaracharya,' was an influential Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher, and teacher (acharya) of Advaita Vedanta. Information about Shankara's life is limited, yet his significance lies in his "iconic representation of Hindu religion and culture," despite many Hindus not following Advaita Vedanta. He is regarded as "the one who revitalized Hindu dharma against the challenges posed by Buddhists (and Jains), playing a crucial role in the decline of Buddhism in India." Tradition also depicts him as a unifier of various sects (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Saktism) through the introduction of the Pañcāyatana worship format, which involves the simultaneous veneration of five deities – Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi – asserting that all deities are different manifestations of the one Brahman, the unseen Supreme Being.