The head of the Poundarikapuram Ashramam at Srirangam, Sri Gopala Desika Mahadesikan (Sri Paravakottai Andavan), passed away on Saturday. He presided over the Ashramam for nearly 30 years and was an erudite scholar, writer, also known for his discourses on traditional vedanta. He was responsible for the construction of the 12th tier of the Rajagopuram of the Srirangam temple.
Born on March 17, 1921 to the well-known scholar, Sri Vathula Kandadai Venkata Acharya, Sri Gopala Desika Mahadesikan had a flair for languages and was ready to undergo the rigorous disciplines laid by Srivaishanavism. He went to the Venkateswara College at Tirupati in 1936, and became a Vyakarana Siromani in 1942. He stayed at the Parakala Math in Mysore for five years, imbibing the Vedantic works of Sri Ramanuja Darsana from Srimad Abhinava Ranganathan Brahmatantra Parakala Swami. After retirement from career as a Sanskrit pundit in the schools in Tiruchi district, he took sanyasa on February 20, 1982, and became the 8th head of the Poundarikapuram Ashramam.
The charama kainkarya of the swami will take place on Sunday.
