Udupi: Paryaya Udupi Palimar Mutt Seer Sri Vidyadheesha Tirtha Swamiji inducted Sri Vidya Rajeshwara Tirtha Swamiji as his successor at the installation ceremony (Pattabhisheka) held at Sarvajna Peetha of Sri Krishna Mutt premises at 12.20 pm on Sunday. With this, the 31st Seer of Palimar was inducted.

Twenty-year-old Shailesh Upadhyaya (former name of the junior seer) was ordained into Sanyasashrama by Sri Vidyadheesha on Friday at Udupi. Various rituals as part of the Sanyasashrama sweekara, including Vayusthuti Purascharana Homa, were held at the Sri Krishna Temple on Saturday. The junior seer also participated in a spiritual function at Rajangana.

Seated on the Sarvajna Peetha at the Mutt, the Paryaya Seer announced his successor’s name as Vidya Rajeshwara Tirtha.

Later, the senior seer took his junior to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and got him to perform the first puja to Lord Krishna.

Prior to the Pattabhisheka, various rituals, including Tattva Homa, Ashtamahamantra Homa and mass chanting of Mangalashtaka, were conducted. Palimar Mutt Seers later performed “Danda Pranama” to the seers of Ashta Mutts.

At the formal function at Rajangana, Paryaya Mutt Diwan Vedavyasa Tanthri performed “Malike Mangalarathi” to the Seers present. Pejawar Mutt Seers Sri Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji and Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji, Krishnapur Mutt Seer Sri Vidyasagar Tirtha Swamiji, Admar Mutt Seers Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji and Sri Eshapriya Tirtha Swamiji, Kaniyur Mutt Seer Sri Vidyavallabha Tirtha Swamiji, Subrahmanya Mutt Seer Sri Vidyaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji, Sode Mutt Seer Sri Vishwavallabha Tirtha Swamiji and Bheemanakatte Mutt Seer Sri Raghuvarendra Tirtha Swamiji graced the occasion.

Shailesh is the eldest of the two sons of Surendra Upadhyaya, a priest and Lakshmi Upadhyaya, a home-maker. While Shailesh is studying in Yoga Deepika Vedic Residential Institute at Palimar, his brother, Vishwesha Upadhyaya, is pursuing ayurveda course in Manipal. Shailesh did his schooling at Vidyodaya School and SMSP Sanskrit College before joining Yoga Deepika Vedic Residential Institute.

After initiation into the monastic order, he would have to study vedas, vedantas, shastras and religious texts written by the exponent of Dwaita philosophy, Sri Madhwacharya. He would study these texts under the guidance of the Palimar Seer.