Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji, who passed away on Sunday, was the sole unwitting petitioner in the historic Fundamental Rights case , which prevented the nation from slipping into a totalitarian regime.
Soon after completion of his 60 Chaturmasya programme in the mutt on September 1, the seer was admitted for a couple of days in a private hospital in Mangaluru after he had cardiac and breathing problems. On Saturday evening, he performed the pooja at the Mutt and slept after having some fruits.
The last rites of the Swamiji were performed in the Mutt’s premises in the presence of a large number of devotees on Sunday.
The seer, known as Srimad Jagadguru Sri Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Kesavananda Bharati Sripadaganlavaru, headed the mutt since 1961. A proponent of the Advaita philosophy, the seer belonged to the lineage of Thotakacharya, one of the first four disciples of reformer Adi Sankaracharya. The Swamiji was a good singer and was a popular ‘Bhagavata’ (singer and director) in Yakshagana where he rendered compositions in the Carnatic music style. He promoted a ‘Yakshagana Mela’ (troupe) for nearly 15 years and this Mela performed programmes in Karnataka and Kerala.
“His patronage removed the inhibition with the ‘Yakshagana’ artists and brought them to prominence,” said T. Sham Bhatt, former Karnataka Public Service Commission Chairman and a devotee of the Swamiji. It also made other religious heads to extend patronage to it, Mr. Bhatt said. The Swamiji conducted annual “Yakshagana Saptaha” (week-long Yakshagana shows) and “Yakshagana Talamaddale” programmes at the Mutt. On September 1, the seer was the Bhagavata in the ‘Talamaddale’ programme.
The Swamiji was a strong proponent of Kannada in Kasargod and lent his support to Kannada activists. He also held many literary programmes.
