Udupi Pejawar Mutt seer Vishwesha Teertha Swami passes away

Bengaluru: Bengaluru: Vishwesha Teertha Swami, the pontiff of Udupi Pejawar Mutt in Karnataka who was suffering from a brief illness, passed away on Sunday morning. He was 88. One of the eight mutts in Udupi, Pejawar mutt is an influential religious centres in South India.

The seer was leading an active public life until recently. He was admitted to Kasturba Hospital in Manipal on December 20, after he complained of breathing difficulties. With him failing to respond to the treatment, the seers of Udupi decided to shift him from the hospital to Sri Krishna Mutt on early morning today, as per his last wish.

Vishwesha Teertha Swami was a powerful pontiff revered by a large number of devotees, that included top political leaders irrespective of the party affiliation. Most of the national leaders would make Udupi part of their itinerary to take blessings of the seer, during their visits to Karnataka. Former union minister Uma Bharti was the disciple of the Pejawar seer.

Condoling the seer’s death Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Sri Vishvesha Teertha Swamiji of Sri Pejawara Matha, Udupi will remain in the hearts and minds of lakhs of people for whom he was always a guiding light. A powerhouse of service and spirituality, he continuously worked for a more just and compassionate society. Om Shanti.”




Modi shared a recent picture of him with the seer holding his hand, and said he was blessed to have many opportunities to learn from the Swamiji. His last meeting with the seer, he said was during Guru Purnima.

Pejawar seer was an influential figure who was known for making public and political comments on important issues. He was closely associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Ram Mandir movement. Expressing happiness over the recent Ayodhya verdict, he had said that to see Ram Mandir built at Ayodhya was his last wish. The seer was also commended for his progressive and experimental initiatives to respond to social issues. Pejawar Swamiji drew flak as well as appreciation for some of his initiatives like organising Iftar parties to Muslim community members and visiting Dalit colonies which he said was to end discrimination.

The mortal remains of the seer has been kept at Udupi Ajjarkad grounds for devotees to pay homage and it will then be air-shipped to Bengaluru’s National College grounds. The Karnataka government has declared mourning for the next three days.