Palimar mutt chief names successor

Swami Vidyadheesha Teertha of Palimar mutt, one of the 'Ashta (eight) mutts' of Udupi, has chosen Shailesh Upadhyaya, a student of Yogadeepika Gurukula at Palimar, as his successor and junior pontiff.

Shailesh, 20, is the eldest son of Surendra Upadhyaya, a priest and Lakshmi Upadhyaya.

His younger brother is studying for an Ayurveda course in Manipal.

Disclosing the information to the media on Wednesday, Vidyadheesha Teertha said Shailesh was selected after getting the consent of his parents.

He will be offered 'sanyasa deeksha' (initiation into the monastic order) in a ceremony to be held at Sri Krishna mutt from May 9 to 12.

The Swami said he is set to perform the rituals of ordaining the disciple during his current tenure as the 'Paryaya' (title for the Swami in charge of worship and rituals at Udupi) seer.

Vidyadheesha Teertha, 63, said a junior is being inducted into the mutts tradition as a disciple is needed to run the mutts administration.

Shailesh studied up to Class 10 in a Sanskrit school before joining the Yogadeepika Gurukula and is studying 'Tharka, Veda and 'Vyakarana.'