Kalady

Kalady കാലടി
city
Adi Shankara with disciples, drawing by Raja Ravivarma,1904
Coordinates: 10°09′58″N 76°26′20″E / 10.1661°N 76.4389°E / 10.1661; 76.4389Coordinates: 10°09′58″N 76°26′20″E / 10.1661°N 76.4389°E / 10.1661; 76.4389
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Ernakulam
City UA	Kochi
Area
• Total	0.633 km2 (0.244 sq mi)
Population
• Total	20,407
• Density	32,000/km2 (83,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Kalady or Kaladi is a census town located east of the Periyar river, in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India near to Cochin International Airport at a distance of 6 Km . Notably, it is the birthplace of Adi Shankara and a popular destination for pilgrims. Kalady started featuring in the spiritual map of India only after its rediscovery in the late 19th century by the then Shankaracharya of Sringeri and the subsequent consecration of a temple for Sri Adi Shankara in 1910. The Centenary of Kalady was celebrated in May 2010 and the story of Kalady and its re-discovery a hundred years ago has been documented in a film by the Sringeri Sharada Peetham.

In the local language, Malayalam, Kalady means "footprint." The village was previously called Sasalam. Almost all traditional and hagographical evidences prove that Kalady is the birth place of Adi Sankara. It is situated on the banks of river Periyar. The place is believed to have been found by a chieftian named Rajasekara, whose dream was influenced by Hindu god Shiva. He also built a temple for Shiva at this place and made a settlement for Brahmins. There are two temples in the place - one for Saradamba and other for Sankara as Dakshinamurthi. Sringeri Mutt and Kanchi Mutt have their branches here. A 45 m (148 ft) tall Adi Sankara Kirti Stamba Mandapa was built by Kanchi Mutt under the aegis of its pontiff Chandrasekarendra Saraswati. A Sanskrit University is run by Sringeri Mutt in the place.

Legend holds that one day, the widowed mother of Little Sankara, Aryamba, fainted after walking three kilometers for her daily bath in the Periyar then known as Purna river. Feeling helpless, Little Sankara prayed to Lord Krishna. The tears of the child moved Krishna, who blessed him thus: "the river will flow where your little feet marks (കാലടി വരയുന്നിട്ത്തു നദി ഗതി ആവും). The Purna river took its new course in the place marked by the little boy's feet. That place came to be called Kalady.