>APPU at 14:52, 20 December 2021

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{{short description|Indian Shankaracharya}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
| name = Kesavananda Bharati
| image = Keshavananda Bharati.JPG
| religion = [[Hindu]]
| sect = [[Edneer Mutt]], [[Kerala]], India
| guru = Shri Ishwarananda Bharati Swamiji
| philosophy = [[Advaita Vedanta]]
| footnotes =
| birth_date = 9 December 1940
| death_date = 6 September 2020 (aged 79)
| death_place = [[Kasaragod]], [[Kerala]], India
| death_cause =
| caption = Bharati visiting Shri Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal in October 2009
}}

'''Kesavananda Bharati''' (9 December 1940{{spnd}}6 September 2020) was an Indian Hindu monk who served as the [[Shankaracharya]] (head) of [[Edneer Mutt]], a [[matha|Hindu monastery]] in [[Kasaragod district]], [[Kerala]], India from 1961 until his death.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kashyap|first=Jaya|title=Kesavananda Bharati The Philosopher Passes Away At Age Of 79 Bio|url=https://www.uptobrain.com/kesavananda-bharati-the-philosopher-passes-away/|access-date=7 September 2020|language=en-US}}</ref> He was the petitioner in ''[[Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala]]'', a landmark case that helped establish the [[basic structure doctrine]] of the [[Indian Constitution]] which guarantees that the fundamental or 'basic structure' of the Indian Constitution can not be altered by [[Parliamentary authority|parliamentary amendment]].<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|last=Livemint|date=5 May 2013|title=A landmark verdict revisited|url=https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/Xi6hS6eTPL110AXCeaBsyI/A-landmark-verdict-revisited.html|access-date=6 September 2020|website=Livemint|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=6 September 2020|title=Seer Kesavananda Bharati, hailed as Constitution's saviour, dies|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/seer-kesavananda-bharati-hailed-as-constitution-s-saviour-dies/story-aDbF37hbQpL9seINyAbDdN.html|access-date=6 September 2020|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> He was a follower of [[Smarta tradition|Smartha Bhagawatha tradition]] and the [[Advaita Vedanta]] school of Hindu philosophy.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Daijiworld – A News portal linking West coast of India and the World|url=http://www.daijiworld.com/chan/sponsoredDisplay.aspx?sID=2240|access-date=6 September 2020|website=www.daijiworld.com}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Kesavananda Bharati was born to Manchthaya Sreedhara Bhatt and Padmavathi Amma in 1940.<ref name=":4" /> He was appointed the head of Sri Edneer Mutt, in [[Kasaragod district]], Kerala, in 1961,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last1=6 Sep|first1=M. P. Prashanth / TNN /|last2=2020|last3=Ist|first3=11:03|title=Kesavananda Bharati Death: Seer Kesavananda Bharati passes away {{!}} Kozhikode News – Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/kozhikode-seer-kesavananda-bharati-passes-away/articleshow/77958259.cms|access-date=6 September 2020|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> and belonged to the ''[[Parampara]]'' of [[Thotakachariyar|Thotakacharya]], one of the first four disciples of [[Adi Shankara]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|title=Daijiworld – A News portal linking West coast of India and the World|url=http://www.daijiworld.com/chan/sponsors_view.asp?s_id=2240|accessdate=12 January 2018|website=www.daijiworld.com}}</ref> He was a follower of the [[Smarta tradition|Smartha Bhagawatha]] tradition of [[Advaita Vedanta|Advaitha]] Pantha.<ref name=":0" /> He took [[Sannyasa|''Sanyasa'']] at the age of 19 and headed the Edneer Mutt as the ''Peetadhipathi'' until his death in 2020.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> As the head of the [[Matha|Mutt]], he was referred by the [[Honorific|honorific title]], Srimad [[Jagadguru]] Sri Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Keshavananda Bharathi Sripadangalavaru.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Udayavani|title=Sri Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji of Edneer Mutt passes away|url=https://www.udayavani.com/english-news/sri-kesavananda-bharati-swamiji-of-edneer-mutt-passes-away|access-date=6 September 2020|website=Udayavani|language=kn}}</ref>

Kesavananda Bharati was a [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]] and [[Hindustani classical music|Hindusthani]] vocalist, and master of [[Yakshagana]], an Indian art and theater form.<ref name="autogenerated2" /><ref name=":0" /> He was a patron of education, Kannada culture and arts, including [[Yakshagana]], music and dramas. He supported the use of the [[Kannada]] language in the border district of [[Kasaragod district|Kasaragod]]. Under his guidance, the mutt had instituted a Kannada-medium school, an English-medium school, junior college, and a [[Sanskrit]] ''Veda Patashala'' (English: ''Vedic School'').<ref name="autogenerated2" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kannadasangha.com.bh/welcome.htm|title=Kannada Samskruti|website=www.KannadaSangha.com.bh|access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

<gallery widths="200px" heights="145px">
File:Shri Keshvananda Bharathi Swamiji's procession.jpg|Procession of Swamiji by his disciples in [[Kumta]], 2012
File:Shankaracharyas meet together.jpg|Shri Kesavananda Bharati (far right) with other Shankaracharyas in a regional Shankaracharyas' meet.
File:Mahakumbh 2013 15.jpg|Shri Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji with devotees at Maha Kumbha Mela held at [[Allahabad]] in February 2013|alt=
</gallery>

== Role in Indian constitutional law ==
{{Main|Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala}}
Kesavananda Bharati was the petitioner in ''[[Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala]]'' ([[case citation]]: AIR 1973 SC 1461).<ref name="autogenerated3">{{Cite web|title=Kesavananda Bharati ... vs State Of Kerala And Anr on 24 April, 1973|url=http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/257876/}}</ref> ''Kesavananda'' was a landmark decision of the [[Supreme Court of India]] that established the [[Basic structure doctrine (Constitution of India)|basic structure doctrine]] of the [[Constitution of India|constitution]].<ref>{{cite web|title=When I met Keshavananda Bharathi!|url=http://barandbench.com/brief/3/2103/when-i-met-keshavananda-bharathi|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117220404/http://barandbench.com/brief/3/2103/when-i-met-keshavananda-bharathi|archive-date=17 January 2013|accessdate=12 January 2018|website=barandbench.com}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite news|last=Datar|first=Arvind P.|date=24 April 2013|title=The case that saved Indian democracy|work=The Hindu|location=Chennai, India|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-case-that-saved-indian-democracy/article4647800.ece}}</ref> The doctrine provides safeguards for the basic structure of the Indian Constitution from parliamentary amendments.<ref name="Kesavananda Bharati's Case2">{{cite web|title=Kesavananda Bharati's Case|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/kesavananda-bharatis-case/233587|accessdate=12 January 2018|website=Outlook (India)}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=Extraordinary Case Study – Indian Express|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/extraordinary-case-study/863792/|accessdate=12 January 2018|website=www.indianexpress.com}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite web|title=Revisiting a verdict|url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2901/stories/20120127290107100.htm|accessdate=12 January 2018|website=www.frontline.in}}</ref>

In 1970, Kesavananda Bharati filed a case challenging the [[Kerala Government]]'s attempts to acquire the [[Matha|Mutt]]'s property, through the Kerala Land Reforms Act of 1963 as amended in 1969.<ref name=":5" /> He argued, along with his lawyer [[Nani Palkhivala]], that this action violated his fundamental rights, particularly his fundamental right to religion ([[Article 25 of the Constitution of India|Article 25]]), freedom of religious denomination (Article 26), and right to property (Article 31).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" />

On 23 March 1973, in a 7–6 ruling, the Supreme Court held that [[Parliament of India|Parliament]] could not alter the "basic structure" of the [[Constitution of India]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|date=6 September 2020|title=Kesavananda Bharati, whose Supreme Court case was genesis of 'basic structure', dies|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kesavananda-bharati-seer-whose-supreme-court-case-was-genesis-of-basic-structure-passes-away/story-NcPfAUcgCpgqa4pXKiy5FM.html|access-date=6 September 2020|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> This decision formed the basis for the basic structure doctrine that has since guaranteed the fundamental structure of the Indian Constitution.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> Proponents of the doctrine consider the doctrine to be a major "safety valve" that guards against [[majoritarianism]]; while opponents consider it an undemocratic means for the judiciary to check the powers of the legislature.<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 September 2020|title=Kesavananda Bharati, seer behind basic rights case, passes away|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kesavananda-bharati-dead-6584956/|access-date=6 September 2020|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref name="auto2" />

In April 2013, ''[[The Hindu]]'', on ''Kesvananda''{{'}}s 40th anniversary, noted that the case saved Indian democracy<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rajagopal|first=Krishnadas|date=6 September 2020|title=Kesavananda Bharati — the petitioner who saved democracy, but lost his case in Supreme Court|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kesavananda-bharati-the-petitioner-who-saved-democracy-but-lost-his-case-in-sc/article32535243.ece|access-date=6 September 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> and thanked Shri Kesavananda Bharati and jurist [[Nanabhoy Palkhivala]] for the same.<ref name="auto" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=PTI|title=Explainer: Hindu seer Kesavananda Bharati's plea that saved Indian democracy|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/explainer-hindu-seer-kesavananda-bharatis-plea-that-saved-indian-democracy/article32535159.ece|access-date=6 September 2020|website=@businessline|language=en}}</ref>

The case was heard by the largest [[Constitution bench (India)|Constitution bench]] and holds the record for the longest hearing with all 13 judges hearing the case for 69 days.<ref name="autogenerated3" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kesavananda Bharati, Man Behind Landmark SC Judgment, Dies in Kerala's Kasaragod at 79|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/kesavananda-bharati-man-behind-landmark-sc-judgment-dies-in-keralas-kasaragod-at-79-2853009.html|access-date=6 September 2020|website=News18}}</ref>

==Opinion==
He was the only [[Shankaracharya]] to have publicly issued a statement saying that it was a mistake for the government to open the vaults of the [[Padmanabhaswamy Temple]]. He stated that all the assets found in the temple's vault were indeed the assets of the temple and the responsibility of managing assets should be handed over to the temple's trust.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_govt-will-usurp-padmanabhaswany-temple-wealth-pontiff-of-edneer-mutt_1570144|title=Govt will usurp Padmanabhaswany temple wealth: Pontiff of Edneer Mutt – Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=28 July 2011|publisher=DNAIndia.com|access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref>

Kesavananda Bharti was awarded the Justice [[V.R. Krishna Iyer|V.R. Krishna Iyer Award]], in 2018 by the Governor of Kerala.<ref>https://barandbench.com/kesavananda-bharati-conferred-with-justice-vr-krishna-iyer-award-2018/
</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Kesavananda Bharati selected for V R Krishna Iyer Award|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/nov/08/kesavananda-bharati-selected-for-v-r-krishna-iyer-award-1895401.html|access-date=6 September 2020|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>

== Death ==
Kesavananda Bharati died in [[Kasaragod]], [[Kerala]] on 6 September 2020 at the age of 79.He died due to Cardiac arrest.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|others=Special Correspondent|date=6 September 2020|title=Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji of Edneer Mutt passes away at 80|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/kesavananda-bharati-swamiji-of-edneer-mutt-passes-away-at-80/article32534308.ece|access-date=6 September 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*{{cite LIIofIndia|litigants=Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru v State of Kerala|link=|court=INSC|year=1973|num=258|parallelcite=(1973) 4 SCC 225, AIR 1973 SC 1461|date=24 April 1973|courtname=[[Supreme Court of India]]}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bharati, Kesavananda}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:Advaitin philosophers]]
[[Category:Shankaracharyas]]
[[Category:20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians]]
[[Category:People from Kasaragod district]]
[[Category:Hindu activists]]
[[Category:Activists from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian Hindu monks]]

Kesavananda Bharati - Revision history

>APPU at 14:52, 20 December 2021