Adi Shankara

Adi Shankara (traditionally dated 788–820 CE, though scholars differ) was a Hindu philosopher born in Kaladi in Kerala. He is the principal systematiser of Advaita Vedanta, the non-dual school that holds Brahman, the ultimate reality, to be identical with the individual self. His commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, the principal Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita remain the foundation of the school. He also wrote independent treatises such as the Vivekachudamani and the Upadesasahasri, and he is traditionally credited with founding monastic centres at Sringeri, Dwarka, Puri, and Badrinath.