Jayendra Saraswathi, who served as the 69th Shankaracharya of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, passed away on Wednesday in Kanchipuram, following a cardiac arrest. According to hospital sources, the 82-year-old seer had been rushed to a private hospital this morning after he complained of uneasiness. Mourning his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply anguished".
The junior pontiff Vijayendra Saraswathi will succeed Jayendra Saraswathi.
The seer's last rites, described as 'Brindavana Pravesha Karyakramam', will be performed on Thursday, according to the mutt.
Saraswathi, the Kanchi Mutt head, had been suffering from diabetes and collapsed at the mutt with