Thousands bid adieu to spiritual leader the late Catholicos Baselius Mar Thoma Didymos I of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on Tuesday.
His mortal remains were taken on the last leg of the final journey to his designated resting place at the Mount Tabor Dayara, Pathanapuram, in Kollam district in the afternoon.
The body, which was brought to the Orthodox Theological Seminary late Monday night from Parumala where he breathed his last, was kept at the seminary chapel till the morning mass was over. The ‘nagarikanickal’ procession began by 9.30 a.m. when the body was taken from the seminary premises to the Catholicate Palace at Devalokam, near Kanjikkuzy, where it was to be kept till noon.
Heavy rushHowever, heavy rush to get a last glimpse of the spiritual leader, whose life and works were marked by simplicity, made the church authorities postpone the departure for another hour-and-a-half.
The procession carrying the body of Catholicos Didymos 1, affectionately called Valia Bava (Grand Pontiff), set off by 1.45 p.m. It passed through Puthuppally, Thengana, Thiruvalla, and Mavelikara to reach Pathanapuram.
The funeral will be held at the Mount Tabor Dayara at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Church authorities said all educational institutions under the MOC management would remain closed on Wednesday as a mark of respect to the spiritual leader.
