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Sri Sankara Tri-Jayanthi begins

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI MAY 3. The Sri Sankara Tri-Jayanthi Mahotsavam being held at the Adi Sankara Keerthi Sthambham got off to a delayed start on Saturday owing to the State-wide hartal called in protest against the Marad violence and a steady drizzle that soaked the premises.

The four-day-long Tri-Jayanthi Mahothsavam, marking the 2510th Jayanthi of Sri Adi Sankara, the Peetarohana Swarna Jayanthi of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, and the Rajatha Jayanthi of Adi Sankara Keerthi Sthambham at Kalady was inaugurated by O. Rajagopal, Minister of State for Defence on Saturday evening.

Earlier, Sri Jayendra Saraswathy Swamigal and Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathy Swamigal were accorded a ceremonious welcome at the Adi Sankara Keerthi Sthambham on their arrival from Thrissur, with the former Supreme Court Judge, Mr. K.S. Paripoornan, offering them with `poorna kumbham.'

Due to the hartal, the swamis could start from Thrissur only after 6 p.m., resulting in the cancellation of the elaborate reception programmes planned earlier.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Rajagopal said that the two sanyasis were arriving with the message of peace in the midst of the scenario where the followers of the sanata dharma in Kerala were being subjected to physical assualts. Violence cannot be answered with violence, stressed Mr. Rajagopal.

In his anugraha prabhashanam, Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal called upon the devotees to listen to speeches with messages of benevolence even while rejecting the harmful things that one hears.

The Tourism Minister, K.V. Thomas, paid obeisance to the swamis. P.J. Joy, MLA, T.P. George, president, Kalady grama panchayat, K.V. Madanan, president, Vishwa Hindu Parishath, M.K. Kunjol, T.K. Devanarayanan and P.E. Balan Menon also spoke.

After the meeting, a vocal recital by V. Dakshinamurti was also held.

Religious leaders, including 150 Dandi swamis from Kashi, have arrived at Kalady to take part in the celebrations.

The Mahothsavam will conclude on Tuesday with a procession from Angamaly, with 32 caparisoned elephants representing the 32 years of Adi Sankara's life.

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