Melpazhur Mana is birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya the great philosopher saint and the exponent of Advaita Vedanta. This home of Aryamba, his holy mother, is located in Veliyanad at Edakkattuvayal Village in Ernakulam District, Kerala, India. It is believed that Sri Sankara’s Upanayanam was conducted here. Known traditionally as ‘Melpazhur Mana’, this place has been fittingly renamed by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda as Adi Sankara Nilayam. This ancient Nambudri Family home Nalukettu, is an excellent example of the splendid architectural style of old Kerala, in which structural strength is admirably blended with practical utility and artistic workmanship.