<p>Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Sri Sankara Mutt is credited with taking the highly revered religious institution to new heights in the sphere of spiritualism, community service, education and healthcare.</p>.<p>The Shankaracharya, who died of heart attack on Wednesday aged 82, had made a vain bid to resolve the vexatious Ayodhya temple issue by mediating in 2002. </p>.<p>Born as Subramanian in Irulneeki village in Tiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu, Jayendra Saraswati was appointed junior pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1954 by Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi at a young age of 19. Anointed the 69th pontiff of the mutt in 1994 succeeding Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal, he was considered a transformative force who reached out to all sections of people, including Dalits, and undertook social service.</p>.<p>He also strived to reach out to the underprivileged sections of the society and founded two outfits - Jan Kalyan and Jan Jaghran - with the objective of carrying out service-oriented activities. The bodies supported renovation of temples in Dalit neighbourhoods besides setting up new ones.</p>.<p>The mutt, under his charge, focused on welfare assistance for destitute women and free tuition for underprivileged students. He was instrumental in establishing a string of (Shankara) schools under the aegis of Shankara Educational Trust. A deemed university for ayurveda was also being run by the mutt, V R V Ramanujan, closely associated with Jan Kalyan movement, said.</p>.<p>T G Ganesan, a spiritual activist associated with the mutt said, "He (Jayendra) was the first pontiff from Kanchi mutt to make it a regular practice to meet common people, especially Dalits in their dwellings. In 1982, when a section of people decided to quit Hinduism and embrace another religion in (Meenakshipuram) Tirunelveli district, the pontiff reached out to them and took conciliatory efforts to settle the caste-related issues and promote peace," he said.</p>.<p>He also established hospitals, including in Assam (Shanakara Devanetralaya) and Andhra Pradesh. In Meghalaya and Andaman and Nicobar islands the mutt was engaged in community service.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Controversies</p>.<p>In 1987, Jayendra Saraswati mysteriously went missing for three days and was found at Thala Cauvery, the origin of Cauvery river in Karnataka. In 2004, he was arrested in a case relating to the murder of Sankararaman, a devotee of the Mutt and the manager of Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram. Later, he and the other accused, including his junior Vijayendra Saraswati, were acquitted in 2013.</p>
<p>Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Sri Sankara Mutt is credited with taking the highly revered religious institution to new heights in the sphere of spiritualism, community service, education and healthcare.</p>.<p>The Shankaracharya, who died of heart attack on Wednesday aged 82, had made a vain bid to resolve the vexatious Ayodhya temple issue by mediating in 2002. </p>.<p>Born as Subramanian in Irulneeki village in Tiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu, Jayendra Saraswati was appointed junior pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1954 by Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi at a young age of 19. Anointed the 69th pontiff of the mutt in 1994 succeeding Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal, he was considered a transformative force who reached out to all sections of people, including Dalits, and undertook social service.</p>.<p>He also strived to reach out to the underprivileged sections of the society and founded two outfits - Jan Kalyan and Jan Jaghran - with the objective of carrying out service-oriented activities. The bodies supported renovation of temples in Dalit neighbourhoods besides setting up new ones.</p>.<p>The mutt, under his charge, focused on welfare assistance for destitute women and free tuition for underprivileged students. He was instrumental in establishing a string of (Shankara) schools under the aegis of Shankara Educational Trust. A deemed university for ayurveda was also being run by the mutt, V R V Ramanujan, closely associated with Jan Kalyan movement, said.</p>.<p>T G Ganesan, a spiritual activist associated with the mutt said, "He (Jayendra) was the first pontiff from Kanchi mutt to make it a regular practice to meet common people, especially Dalits in their dwellings. In 1982, when a section of people decided to quit Hinduism and embrace another religion in (Meenakshipuram) Tirunelveli district, the pontiff reached out to them and took conciliatory efforts to settle the caste-related issues and promote peace," he said.</p>.<p>He also established hospitals, including in Assam (Shanakara Devanetralaya) and Andhra Pradesh. In Meghalaya and Andaman and Nicobar islands the mutt was engaged in community service.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Controversies</p>.<p>In 1987, Jayendra Saraswati mysteriously went missing for three days and was found at Thala Cauvery, the origin of Cauvery river in Karnataka. In 2004, he was arrested in a case relating to the murder of Sankararaman, a devotee of the Mutt and the manager of Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram. Later, he and the other accused, including his junior Vijayendra Saraswati, were acquitted in 2013.</p>