Adi Shankara & Kashmir-The Philosophical Osmosis

The period between 8th and 12th Century was a period of cultural renaissance in Kashmir.In a period
spanning four hundred yearsKashmir produced some of the greatest scholars, who were instrumental in
shaping Indian thought and Philosophy. It was in this time that we see the resurgence of Agama and
Tantra in Kashmir. The revelation of Siva Sutras could be termed as a milestone in the re-establishment of
the Shaivate philosophy. K.C.Pandey[1] writes We shall, therefore not be wrong if we say that
Vasugupta gave a systematic form to the philosophical ideas of the monistic Tantras in his Siva Sutras in
the next decade after Shankaracharyas visit toKashmir towards the end of the second decade of the
9th century A.D. On the basis of this statement one could infer that Shankaracharya did visit Kashmir but
then there are scholars who claim otherwise. Shankaracharyas visit to Kashmir has always been a matter
of debate and no conclusive evidence has ever been presented to prove to prove it.
In the context of the above I would like to go into various extant and oral sources to understand whether
Shankaracharya visited Kashmir at all and if he did was he in any way influenced by the existing tantric
lore of Kashmir.I shall also try and see how Shankaracharyas writings (post his visit to Kashmir) reflected
the impact of Shaivagamic and Shakta aspects of Kashmiri philosophical systems. I will also look at
various historical and empirical evidences which seem to suggest that Shankaracharya did indeed
visit Kashmir.