Kashi Vidvat Parishad

Ramyatna Shukla (1932 - 2022) was a sanskrit scholar and linguist who served as president of the Kashi Vidvat Parishad. He was recipient of over 25 awards, including the President's Award in 1998, the Keshav Award, the Vachaspati Award, and the Vishwabharti Award. He also given the title of Mahamaopadhyaya.^[8]

In 2021, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highesh civilian honor, for his contributions to social work and Sanskrit education. After his death in September 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledge his contributions to Sanskrit scholarship.^[9] As of 2022, Vashisht Tripathi, a former Vice Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, serves as the president of the Parishad.^[10] He has been involved in key decisions of the oraganization, including a 2024 ruling on the timing of the Jagannath Rath Yatra.^[11] He was also mentioned by Prime Minister Modi during a 2024 address in Varanasi, where Modi praised the Parishad's role in organizing the Sansad Sanskrit Pratiyogita.^[12]

In November 2024, the Kashi Vidvat Parishad issued a public statement declaring that the annual Rath Yatra of Jagannath must be held on the Dwitiya Tithi of the Ashadha month, as per scriptures. The opinion was issued in response to a request from Divyan Singh Deb of Puri, who sought the Parishad's counsel after learning that some groups planned to hold the yatra in December. Ramnarayan Dwivedi, general secretary of the parishad, stated that conducting the yatra on any other date was "unacceptable" and went against established tradition.^[13]

In December 2024, when the demand to re-open a centuries - old Shiva temple in Varanasi's Madanpura area emerged, the Kashi Vidvat Parishad was tasked with examining ancient scriptures to determine the temple's origins and significance. Professor Ramnarayan Dwivedi, General Secretary of the Parishad, stated that a team was studying the Puranas, particularly the Kashi Khand of the Skanda Purana, to ascertain the antiquity and mythological importance of the temple, identifying the presiding deity as Siddheshwar.^[14][15] After the temple was physically reopened in January 2025, the disctrict administration confirmed that regular worship would begin after consultation with the Kashi Vidvat Parishad, Annapurna Temple, and other religious leaders, with the Parishad advising that worship would commence after the conclusion of the Hindu month of Kharmas.^[16]

This Council has recently been at the forefront of multiple initiatives to uphold the scriptural traditions. It is actively working to revive India's ancient knowledge systems, with Padma Shri Prof. Vishwamurti Shastri emphasizing the need to make Vedic traditions relevant today and simplify Sanskrit for the common public.^[17] In a recent move towards social reform, the Council introduced a comprehensive "Hindu Code of Conduct" of 400 pages in July 2025, which bans dowry, curbs lavish wedding expenses and also establishes a simplified process for reconversion to Hinduism.^[18] Along with that, the Council has taken a conservative stance on certain local customs, opposing the 'Masane ki Holi' (playing Holi with ashes) at Varanasi's cremation grounds. They argued that a 'shamshan' holds a certain sanctity and is not a place for festivities according to the scriptures.^[19][20] The Council is asserting its influential role in interpreting and shaping Hindu social and religious life in contemproray India.

The Kashi Vidvat Parishad has a branch in Jammu and kashmir, known as the Jammu and Kashmir Shri Kashi Vidvat Parishad. This branch was established by September 2023, with its foundation day celebrated on September 20, 2023. This even was addressed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.^[21][22][23] The President and Founder of this branch is Padma Shri Prof. Vishwamurti Shastri.^[24] In April 2026, the branch held its monthly meeting in Jammu, during which Prof. Shastri emphasized the roots of Indian culture lie in ancient texts.^[24] The Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas are the Indian roots. He stressed, Sanskrit is not merely a language but the foundation of Indian Knowledge and science, and advocated for simplifying and popularizing Sanskrit to make it accessible to the common public. General Secretary Dr. Vijendra Shastri also gave the report of the activities being conducted in the branch. Also there were many workshops and seminars which drew the participation from the students and researchers. Soon there will be a seminar on "Indian Knowledge Tradition". The executive body suggested forming local committees, strengthening coordination with social organizations and launching campaings in rural areas to promote Sanskrit and Indian culture.^[24]

In 2017, the Shri Kashi Vidvat Parishad formally recognized the Akshar Purushottam darshan, a philosophical treatise authored by Sadhu Bhadreshdas, as a distinct and unique school of Vedantic philosophy. Former President, Acharya Shri Ramyatna Shukla, current President Acharya Shri Vashistha Tripathi, and General Secretary Pandit Shivji Upadhyay feicitated Sadhu Bhadreshdas for his contribution of Swaminarayan Siddhanta Sudha, a Vadgrantha offering exposition and defense of the Akshar-Purushottam Darshan's philosophical principles.^[25][26] The Parishad concluded that the Akshar-Purushottam Darshan is distinct from Advaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita, Shuddhadvaita, and other established doctrines, and is a Vedic siddhanta (established truth).^[27] Along with that, the council even declares Sadhu Bhadreshdas as a Acharya and a contemprory commentator (Bhashyakar) in the lineage of commentators on the Prasthanatrayi (the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutras). This recognition was then endorsed by the 17th World Sanskrit Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in July 2018, where scholars acknowledged it as the first new independent school of Vedant since the 16th century.^[28]