MADURAI: After income tax officials raided the premises of Madurai Aadheenam on Saturday, sources said that some documents have been seized for investigation. It was not known immediately whether any unaccounted cash was seized. Arunagirinatha Desigar was present during the search, officials of the mutt said. The mutt staff cooperated with the search team, they claimed. Officials of the mutt alleged that the raid was conducted to thwart the scheduled visit of Arunagirinatha Desigar to Tiruvannamalai to participate in the Pattabishekam of Nithyananda scheduled for Saturday evening.
They also alleged that the search was conducted at the behest of a Union minister. They said they expected such raids in Madurai Aadheenam after Nithyananda was anointed as the junior pontiff.
They recalled that such raids were conducted in the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam in Bidadi, Karnataka. Arunagirinathar, the 292rd pontiff, left for Tiruvannamalai in the afternoon, after the search, to participate in the Pattabishekam.
The Madurai Mutt which has a history of 2,000 years was revived to glory by Tirugnana Sambandar, one of the four Saivite savants. There are several temples under its control including the famous Kanjanur temple in Thanjavur district.