CHENNAI: What started as a modest gathering of devotees who arrived to pay their last respects to the 69th pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, on Wednesday morning steadily grew into a sizeable crowd by afternoon.
The pontiff was taken to the ABCD Hospitals when he reportedly suffered from respiratory trouble. According to an official statement of the math, he died around 9 am.
“We were following the live telecast on TV when it dawned on us that it would be the last time we could catch a glimpse of the pontiff. So we started immediately,” said Sumathi K from Perungulathur, who reached the mutt by afternoon.
According to a 1998 publication on Jayendra Saraswathi, written by one of his disciples Vanamali, when he sat for dharshan, he sat cross-legged on the floor on a cushion with a small stool in front of him, on which he kept his guru’s ‘padukas’.
Perhaps in keeping with the tradition, the mortal remains of the seer were placed in a cross-legged position with folded hands atop his chair. By his side was the 70th pontiff and successor Vijayendra Saraswathi.
“He had been continuously travelling as the head of the math. Many of his initial journeys were by foot and he then resorted to travelling in a special van, once his health started failing,” said 72-year-old Ananthakrishnan P, another devotee.
Following the news of his death early on Wednesday, several shops in the temple town remain shut through the day. Many temples in the locality, including the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple, were closed for visitors until 4 pm.
The body is expected to be displayed for public view till the last rites, known as ‘Brindavana pravesha karyakramam’, scheduled to begin at 8 am on Thursday. Sundaresa Iyer, manager of Kanchi Math, told mediapersons that the mortal remains would be laid to rest on the left side of the Brindavanam (samadhi) of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal located within the Math premises.
The junior pontiff Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal will succeed Jayendra Saraswathi. Asked when the junior pontiff would take charge as Peetadhipathi, Sundaresa Iyer said it was not proper to say anything at this moment.
Born as Subramanian in Irulneeki village in Tiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu, Jayendra Saraswathi was appointed as junior pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1954 by Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi at a young age of 19.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam were among a string of leaders who condoled the death of the Kanchi seer.
BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan was among the first political leaders to pay their respects to the pontiff along with Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister Sevoor S Ramachandran.
Tamil Nadu Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar, RK Nagar MLA T T V Dhinakaran, DMDK chief Vijayakant and wife Premalatha and founder-organiser of the Hindu Munnani Rama Gopalan were among the others present to pay their respects. Haj Committee member Abubacker also paid his respects.