VIJAYAWADA: With appointment of next mattadhipati of famous Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy Mutt aka Brahmamgari Mutt in Kandimallayapalle village of Kadapa district—the last mattadhipati Sri Veerabhoga Vasanta Venkateswara Swamy passed away recently—snowballing into a controversy, Endowments Minister Velampalli Srinivasa Rao reiterated that the State government will appoint next head of the mutt as per all rules and traditions.
Addressing mediapersons on Sunday, Velampalli wanted the family members of the late Swamy, seers and other religious heads to exercise patience. He added making comments at this juncture will create more hurdles in the appointment process. It is the responsibility of one and all to uphold the mutt’s dignity.
The mutt was built on the place where Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy was laid to rest in 1693 and seven generations of his family have served as the ma ttadhipatis so far. After the death of the last muttadhipati, there rose the issue of the appointment of the next head of the mutt from the family. Explaining the government’s decision to resolve the issue amicably, Rao said a committee will be formed, which will appoint the successor by taking the opinion from all the concerned.
The minister said all trouble broke out between the late Swamy’s first and second wife’s families as both of them wanted a person from their respective lineage to be declared as the next mattadhipati. They alleged that the late Swamy had left a will document on the appointment of mutt. “Though they (family members) claim that Swamy had left a will, we have not received anything so far. As per rules of Endowments Act, mattadhipatis, seers and trustees of individual temples have to send their will documents to either Dharmika Parishad or the Endowments Commissioner’s office,” Rao explained.
Stating that the State has 128 identified mutts and peethams, he said the appointment of a mattadhipati or peethadipati is decided by its members. The functioning of the Brahmamgari Mutt has been handed over to Kadapa district Endowments assistant commissioner. “The appointment of the successor will be decided by the committee after listening to all views and resolving the family issues,” the minister added.
The second wife of the late Swamy, Maruthi Mahalakshmi in a letter to DGP Gautam Sawang on Saturday sought his intervention in the selection of mutt’s successor in a lawful manner. She claims that the will document left by her husband mentioned that she is to be appointed as the temporary in-charge till the time her son N Govindaswamy, who is a minor, attains the age of 18.