Pontiff to be interred in mutt next to senior seer

Kanchi Sankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswathi will be interred next to the burial site of his predecessor within the mutt premises here tomorrow.
The rituals are scheduled to begin by 7 AM with an 'abishekam' followed by an 'Aarthi.'
Vedic pundits from across the country will chant portions from all the four Vedas and a special worship will be held.
Later, the mortal remains of the Seer will be taken from the main hall where it has been placed for public viewing, to Brindavan Annexe, the burial site of Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi, senior pontiff.
A big bamboo basket with the body in a seated posture will be taken to the annexe and lowered into a 7x7 feet burial pit.

"The burial pit is ready and as soon as the body is lowered tomorrow, deities in a particular form called 'Saligrama' will be placed over it," a senior mutt official in charge of the burial arrangements told PTI.

The pit will be filled with herbs, including 'Vasambu,' salt and sandalwood.
Later, rituals such as 'Kabaalamoksham' wherein a coconut will be placed on the head and symbolically broken, will take place.
Such rituals mark the completion of the burial.
Two renowned 'sthapathis,' Nandakumar and Shiva have been deployed to construct the mausoleum, the mutt official said.
A tulasi pot will be placed over the burial chamber, allowing sufficient place for devotees to go around it and pay their respects.

The burial is expected to end by 11 AM, he added.
Security has been tightened in and around the mutt premises here.
Devotees have been thronging the mutt to pay tributes to the religious leader.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, state education minister K A Sengottaiyan, former AIADMK minister K P Munuswamy and senior government officials paid their respects.
The seer, who had been unwell for the past few months,had complained of uneasiness this morning and was rushed to a nearby medical facility sponsored by Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
Jayendra Saraswathi died of cardiac arrest, said sources at the Adi Bhagavadpada Cardiac and Dialysis Centre.