Shankaracharya (शङ्कराचार्य) (IAST: Śaṅkarācārya, Shankara acharya) is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism
The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of teachers dating back to him are known as Shankaracharyas