Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, disciples and political leaders join nagar yatra of Mahant Narendra Giri at Prayagraj’s Bagambari Math

PRAYAGRAJ: The last journey of Mahant Narendra Giri, president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad who died by suicide on Tuesday, was taken out in the city from Bagambari Gaddi Math to Sangam and back on Wednesday morning.
After the body’s postmortem was conducted by a team of five experts at SRN hospital, his mortal remains were handed over to the office bearers of the Niranjani Akhara.They were then transferred into an open vehicle decorated with flowers. Thereafter, the nagar yatra (procession) proceeded to Sangam, and later in the day, Giri was given bhoo samadhi on the premises of Bagambari Gaddi Math.
A large number of his disciples, locals and several political leaders, including deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, joined the procession. At Sangam, his body was bathed in Ganga before being taken to the Math. On the way, the procession took a brief halt at Bade Hanuman Temple where Giri had served as the chief mahant.

After returning to the Math, Giri was given bhoo samadhi in a huge pit dug near a lemon tree in the open garden of the Math. This was a wish mentioned by Giri in his long suicide note. His body was kept in a square-shaped cave which was prepared at one side of the huge pit.
As soon as his mortal remains reached the Math, members of the Niranjani Akhara, his disciples, including his close aide Balbeer Giri whom Giri has named as his successor in his suicide note, placed it inside the cave. The entire area was covered by a large saffron cloth which was later removed. Several ceremonious items like honey, sandalwood paste, Tulsi leaves, Ganga jal (placed inside the mouth), religious books and kamandal were kept next to him. Thereafter, several layers of salt and sweets were also placed. The entire ceremony, which lasted for around half-an-hour, was held amid chanting of vedic mantras, keeping with the traditions of the Akhara.
Although several seers and members of the Akhara were present at the ceremony, it was Balbeer Giri who performed the rituals. After this, several seers present at the site offered their homage by offering a handful of soil on the mortal remains. The pit was then fully filled with soil.
Earlier in the day, saints and seers had reached Sangam city from various corners of the country for the last darshan of Mahant Narendra Giri and to participate in the ceremonies. These included seers and mahamandaleshwars of the 13 akharas who are part of the ABAP.


Schools upto class 12th were closed in the district on Wednesday in view of the huge turnout of locals for the ceremony.
Secretary of Panchayati Akhara Shri Niranjani, Shri Mahant Ravindra Puri told TOI, “The saint can be given samadhi by two forms, either jal (water) samadhi or bhoo (land) samadhi. As it is the moral duty of us to protect the river from any kind of pollution, and since it was the wish of Mahant Giri, we decided to give him bhoo samadhi. The body was kept in a sitting posture, as if he is meditating, and all the offerings, including gems, flowers, honey, milk, sugar and salt, were offered to the body before the same was fully covered by soil.”