D SUNDAR
Kanchipuram, Apr 30:
On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, Sri Subramania Ganesha Sharma from Andhra Pradesh formally assumed charge as the 71st Junior Pontiff (Ilaya Peetadhipathi) of the Kanchipuram Sankara Mutt. The initiation ceremony took place on Wednesday within the sacred precincts of the Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram.
The current 70th pontiff, Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, bestowed the Sannyasa Ashrama Deeksha upon the new junior pontiff at the holy Panchaganga Theertha tank located inside the temple complex. To witness the spiritual initiation, special arrangements were made for Acharyas and Sannyasis to view the event while seated on a floating theppam (raft) in the tank.
Following the ritual, both the senior and junior pontiffs had darshan of the main deity, Goddess Kamakshi. As part of the spiritual tradition, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal bestowed the monastic name Sri Sathya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal upon the new junior pontiff.
The ceremony witnessed the presence of several prominent dignitaries, including Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, Hindu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath, BJP leader K. Annamalai, Thuglak Editor S. Gurumurthy, and Dr. Sudha Seshayyan.
After the rituals at the temple, both pontiffs were taken in a grand procession accompanied by traditional music to the Sankara Mutt. There, the new junior pontiff formally assumed his role as the 71st Peetadhipathi, following the traditional upadesam (spiritual instruction).
In celebration of this significant event, the Kamakshi Amman Temple and the Sankara Mutt were beautifully decorated with colorful electric lights and flowers. The elaborate arrangements were overseen by Sri Karyam N. Sundaresa Iyer of the Kamakshi Amman Temple and Sri Karyam Chella Viswanatha Sastri of the Sankara Mutt, along with their dedicated festival committee.