the night and paid homage to the late Acharya till 8am of 1 March 2018. Abhishekam of Shiva linga, a ritual was performed with chanting of Rudram and Chamakam on 1 March from 8am. Kanchi Mutt manager said over 5 lakh people came to the shrine to pay respects. It was decided that Jayendra Sarawasthi would be laid to rest beside his guru, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi and hence the seer's ‘brindavanam’, or final resting place, was constructed right next to the one that serves as the brindavanam for the 68th pontiff Sri Maha Periyava. Mutt officials stopped the public darshan by 8am on 1 March 2018 and initiated the installation of the brindavanam by reciting slokas. The final rites of Saraswathi began with an 'abhishekam' ( bath) with milk and honey at 10am. A huge crowd had assembled in the small auditorium to watch the proceedings of the installation of the Brindavanam. The body of Saraswathi was later carried to the adjacent ‘Brindavan Annexe,’ for his Samadhi, where the mortal remains of his predecessor Sri Chandrasekerendra Saraswathi were interred in 1993. The rituals for lowering Jayendra Saraswathi's body in the 7 x 7 ft burial pit in the Brindhavanam Annexe started after 11 am on 1 March 2018. The Mutt's Pontiff Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi performed the poojas for his guru and predecessor. The 69th pontiff of the Kanchi Sankara Mutt Sri Jayendra Saraswathi was placed in the ‘samadhi’ within the Mutt premises in Kanchipuram. Reactions, tributes and legacy The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu mourned the death of Saraswathi. Notable dignitaries who offered condolences and paid homage following his demise include former Deputy Prime Minister of India LK Advani, former Union Minister and Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Anbumani Ramadoss, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader MK Stalin, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Union ministers D. V. Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, Banwarilal Purohit, O. Panneerselvam, Sengottaiyan, and Ilayaraja. Muslims from Kanchipuram and nearby places also visited the Kanchi Mutt after his death, to pay their respects to him. They offered prayers (Namaz) as a token of respect for the Swami. The Nawab of Arcot is also known to be very close to the Mutt and its Acharyas. External links The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham The Sacred and the Profane Complete text of the Order of the Supreme Court of India in dismissing the