Yathiraja Sampathkumara Ramanuja Jeeyar of the Melkote Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt attains the divine

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Yathiraja Sampathkumara Ramanuja Jeeyar of the Melkote Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt

 

 

MYSORE: The jeeyar of Melkote Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt, Yathiraja Sampathkumara

Ramanuja Jeeyar (98), who passed away in Bangalore on Friday, was a great

scholar in temple architecture. The last rites of the jeeyar were performed at

Brindavana in Melkote the same night. The jeeyar, who was ailing with medical

complications associated with old age, was living in the Yadugiri Yathiraja

Mutt's Bangalore branch for the last few months.

 

A scholarly Yathiraja Samapathkumara Ramanuja Jeeyar took sanyasa and became the

head of the mutt in 1981. Residing at Melkote, the revered jeeyar has

contributed immensely to Kannada literature. A polyglot, the nonagenarian jeeyar

of one of the oldest religious mutts had specialised in various areas such as

geography, mathematics and astronomy. His works include a detailed study of

history, inscriptions, tradition of various temples such as the Ranganatha Swamy

Temple of Sri Rangapatna, the Narayanaswami Temple of Melkote, the temples at

Tondanur, the Chennakeshava Temple of Belur and the Sri Ranganatha Temple of

Srirangam. The contributions of Yathiraja Sampathkumara Ramanuja Jeeyar to

Kannada literature has been chronicled in "Melkote Through The Ages", brought

out by the Melkote Academy of Sanskrit Research.

 

The historical significance of the Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt is its association

with the 12th Century saint-reformer, Sri Ramanujacharya.

Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt is the only original mutt of Melkote which exists from

the time of Sri Ramanujacharya.

 

It was started by the saint-reformer for services and control of the temple of

Sri Tirunarayana. According to legend, Sri Ramanujacharya founded the mutt with

the commands that he received from his gurus, chiefly, Sri Alavandar

(Yamunacharya).