For the first time, the VHP has convened a meeting of the Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal -- its supreme decision-making body -- to frame yardsticks for distinguishing ``real'' Shankaracharyas from their pretenders and challengers. The crucial meeting is scheduled to be held at Ahmedabad in February next.

But the VHP's move is likely to face stiff opposition from certain quarters. It is unlikely that people like Swami Swaroopanand will endorse it. The Shankaracharya of Dwarka has a bitter relationship with the VHP, criticising all its moves in the past.

The VHP has apparently been forced to make such a move after a spate of cases involving Shankaracharyas, religious heads of the Shaivite sect of Hindus, were dragged to various courts. It was also rattled by the unsavouryscenes witnessed during the Kumbh Mela held earlier this year at Hardwar, in which members of various orders fought among themselves and with the police to be the first to bathe in the Ganga.

``The multiplicity of these religious heads has the Hindu samaj bewildered,'' observed a VHP spokesman, adding, ``things have reached such a stage that steps will have to be taken to remove this confusion.''

At the last count, according to him, there were 18 Shankaracharyas. In addition, there were six religious heads who had established their own peeths and staked their claim to being Shankaracharyas.

In the 11th century AD, Adi Shankaracharya established four peeths to protect vedic dharma. These were the Jyotishpeeth at Badrikashram, Shardapeeth at Dwarka, Sringeripeeth and Puripeeth. Later, the heads of these four peeths and the vidyut parishad (gathering of learned scholars) accorded their recognition to a fifth peeth -- Kanchi Kamakothipeetham.

Initially, theissue of succession was settled easily as each Shankaracharya was allowed to anoint his successor -- a process which was later ratified by the vidyut parishad. But as each peeth acquired prestige and power, the issue became a serious bone of contention.

``The succession problem gradually became more contentious because there were no fixed laws to prove the bonafides of various contenders,'' the VHP spokesman pointed out. ``In some cases, it became so ridiculous that each contender started using the letterhead and the emblem of the Shankaracharya concerned, much to the amusement of their followers,'' he added.

To buttress his argument, he gave the example of Jyotishpeeth where Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati was chosen as the Shankaracharya by his predecessor Jagadguru Vishnudevananda Saraswati. ``But even he has two challengers -- Swami Swaroopananda of Dwarka and Hardwar's Madhavashram,'' the spokesman revealed, adding that Swami Nischalananda of Puri was being challenged by SwamiAdhochajananda.

In at least six cases, heads of various sects have established their own peeths. These include Govindanand Saraswati of Ayodhya and Madhavanand of Prayag.

Intense infighting dogs the Vaishnavite sect also, the most glaring example being that of Ramananda sect which owns the Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya.

``The VHP has so far kept itself away from these internal squabbles, viewing them as internal matters of the sant samaj,'' the spokesman remarked. ``But it clearly feels it is time to step in now,'' he added.