Abhinava Vidyatirtha (अभिनव विद्यातीर्थ)

Bhaktamal | Abhinava Vidyatirtha
Real name - Srinivasa Sastri
Other Names - Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswami
Disciple - Bharathi Teertha
Aradhya - Bhagwan Shiva
Guru - Chandrashekhara Bharati III
Birth date - 13 November 1917
Birth Place - Bangalore, Karnataka
Language: Sanskrit, Kannada
Father - Venkatalakshmi Ammal
Mother - Rama Sastry
Marital status - Unmarried
Famous - 35th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada PeethamSri Abhinava Vidyatheertha was the 35th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham. He showed spiritual maturity at an early age and immersed himself in Vedic studies at Sringeri. At the age of 13–14, he was initiated into monkhood by his guru Chandrasekhara Bharati III, and on 22 May 1931 he received the monastic name Abhinava Vidyathirtha.

After the passing of his guru in 1954, he became the official Jagadguru on 16 October of that year. As Jagadguru, he revitalized Sringeri’s infrastructure: built guesthouses, renovated shrines, reclaimed land, improved roads, introduced irrigation, and initiated the Tunga River Vidyatirtha Setu bridge and a hospital—Sharada Dhanvantari Hospital. He also launched Jnanodaya School in 1988. His administration emphasized decentralization, branch mathas, temple consecration, and scriptural education.

His legacy includes the Sri Vidyatheertha Foundation (founded in 1991), scholarship programs, a range of published works - including biographies and spiritual treatises, and established lasting institutions in education, healthcare, administration, and spiritual integration.