Vishwesha Tirtha passed away Sunday (Archive) Vishwesha Tirtha passed away Sunday (Archive)

Vishwesha Theertha Swami, head of the Sri Pejawar Adokshaja Matha and one of the leading lights of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, passed away in Karnataka’s Udupi district on Sunday morning. Founded by Sri Madhvacharya, the Sri Pejawar Adokshaja Matha in Udupi is one of the Ashta Mathas belonging to the Dvaita school of Hindu theology.

Vishwesha Tirtha was born as Venkataramana in a Shivalli Madhwa Brahmin family at Ramakunja, Mangaluru on April 27, 1931. He was ordained into sanyasa at the age of seven by the then head of the Mutt, Vishva Manya Theertha Swami, at Chakratheertha near Hampi in 1938.

A scholar of Nyaya and Vedanta, Vishwesha Tirtha was the only seer from the Ashta Mutts (eight mutts) of Udupi to have performed five biennial Paryayas, the biennial ritual at the Sri Krishna temple.

However, Vishwesha Tirtha came into prominence during the Emergency when he wrote a protest letter and offered to serve a prison sentence. He was also known for his pro-Hindu programmes and was associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Sangh Parivar.

On Guru Purnima this July, the seer had met Prime Minister On Guru Purnima this July, the seer had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi (Twitter/narendramodi)

He soon became one of the spearheads of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. He was also present at the disputed site during the Babri Mosque demolition on December 6, 1992.

After the recent Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya case, the Swami attended a peace meeting in New Delhi and warned of an indefinite hunger strike if either the Hindu or Muslim community held victory processions or resorted to violence post the verdict.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani, a disciple of the seer, took his blessings before starting his Ram Rath Yatra in 1990. Former union minister Uma Bharti, is a disciple of the seer, and took Deeksha from him in 1992.

Baba Ramdev speaks as Sri Vishvesh Teertha Maharaj of Pejawar Mutt, Udupi, looks on (Archive/PTI Photo) Baba Ramdev speaks as Sri Vishvesh Teertha Maharaj of Pejawar Mutt, Udupi, looks on (Archive/PTI Photo)

The seer also worked for prevention of cow slaughter and was in favour of making the cow the national animal of India. He also tried his best to prevent Dalits from converting to other religions. In 2010, he visited Dalit colonies in Mysuru and offered ‘Vaishnava Deeksha’ (initiation into Vaishnava way of life) to Dalits. The seer was also instrumental in ending the practice of “Made Made Snana”, the practice of devotees rolling over banana leaves on which food had been served to the Brahmins.

On Guru Purnima this July, the seer had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He also shared good relations with several top BJP leaders and other political party leaders.

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