New Delhi: Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math in Udupi in Karnataka died on Sunday after a brief illness.  One of prominent religious leaders of South India, the 88-year old swamiji was admitted to a hospital at Manipal a few days ago for breathing difficulty.

As per Udupi MLA K Raghupati Bhat, he passed away at 9:30 am today. His mortal remains will be kept at Ajjarakadu Mahatma Gandhi Maidan for 3 hours, where he'll be given state honours.

“Later today, his mortal remains will be taken to Bengaluru. Several national leaders will be coming to pay last tributes to Swami ji at the National College in Bengaluru. Last rites will be performed at around 7 pm at Vidyapeeth,” Bhat said.

He was the 33rd swamiji in the lineage of the Pejawar Math heads. State government has announced 3-day mourning from 29 Dec -31 December, following the demise of the seer.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will be coming there. Earlier in the day, Yediyurappa also condoled the death of the seer.

“May Lord Krishna grant salvation to his soul. I would pray for the devotees to give them the strength to overcome their pain,” he said.

Condoling the demise of the senior seer on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Sri Vishvesha Teertha Swamiji of Sri Pejawara Matha, Udupi will remain in hearts and minds of lakhs of people for whom he was always a guiding light. A powerhouse of service and spirituality,he continuously worked for a more just and compassionate society. Om Shanti."

"I consider myself blessed to have got many opportunities to learn from Sri Vishvesha Teertha Swamiji.Our recent meeting,on pious day of Guru Purnima was also a memorable one.His impeccable knowledge always stood out. My thoughts are with his countless followers,” he said in another tweet.




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