Porayar (TN), Nov. 15 (PTI): People of Irulneeki, a village near Mannargudi, where the 69th Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal was born, have still not come to terms over the arrest of their revered seer.

Jegannathan, a native of the village, told PTI that the people had sent telegrams to Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala, and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, seeking his immediate release.

M Subramanyam, the name originally given to Jayendra by his parents - Mahadev Iyer and Saraswathi Ammal, was born here on July 18, 1935. While children of his age played, he spent hours in meditation and aspired to become an ascetic.

At the age of nine, Subramanyam was sent to Kanchi Mutt to learn the Vedas. He learnt the Rig Veda, the Dharma Shastras and Upanishad for six years.

When he was 18, the 68th Acharya, Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi, decided that Subramanyam should succeed him as the Mutt head and conveyed the message to his father through the mutt manager, asking for his consent.

Mahadeva Iyer did not respond immediately and took nearly a year to agree to his son becoming a sanyasi.

On March 22, 1954, standing in waist deep water at the 'Sarvatheertha Karai' tank in Kancheepuram in ochre robes, Subramanyam removed his sacred thread, signifying that he was cutting off all worldly ties.

He chanted the 'Prashocharana' mantras, declared that he had no worldly desires and stepped out of the water, his senior Acharya then gave him the 'deeksha' (ordainment) and named him Jayendra Saraswathi.

The Seer initiated several social welfare schemes all over India. His devotees have sponsored special welfare schemes in his native village. The Kanchi Mutt has formed a trust named 'Chandrasekara Rural Development Trust' to take up social welfare projects in Irulneeki. The Trust has carried out several development projects in this village.

There are about 150 families living at Irulneeki, of whom 70 per cent belong to the Scheduled Caste. The Trust has built 40 houses for the them. With the cooperation of HUDCO, NABARD and Tamil Nadu Government, a pilot project was carried out in 2001 to make it a 'model village'. Buildings for primary schools and sanitation facilities have been constructed.

The Trust has constructed a well equipped health centre, which is now functioning with two doctors, five paramedical staff and a laboratory technical assistant. An ambulance was added to the health centre to serve the 49 villages nearby.

The house in which Jayendra was born has been converted into a Mutt now, where a 'veda patasala' is being run.