Udupi: Sixteen-year-old Aniruddha Saralathaya from Nidle village in Dakshina Kannada district was anointed as the 31st Seer of Udupi Shiroor Mutt on the Moola Mutt premises in Shiroor on Friday night by its Dwandwa Mutt Seer Sri Vishwavallabha Tirtha Swami of Udupi Sode Vadiraj Mutt.

Saralathaya was given the name of ‘Vedavardhana Tirtha’ before the anointment ceremony. The ceremony was initially planned at Sode Mutt’s Moola Mutt at Sode in Uttara Kannada district but was shifted to Shiroor following the spread of the pandemic. He was initiated to Sanyasa by Vishwavallabha on Thursday. The seat had become vacant after the demise of Lakshmivara Tirtha Swami in 2018.

After the anointment ceremony, Vedavardhana entered Udupi town and proceeded to Anantheshwara temple and thereafter Chandramouleshwara temples, located on the periphery of Sri Krishna Mutt, and had a darshan of the presiding deities as per the tradition followed by Udupi Ashta Mutts.

Upon his arrival at Sri Krishna Mutt, Adamar Mutt’s Junior Seer Eshapriya Tirtha Swami, who is conducting the Paryaya, welcomed Vedavardhana in a traditional way.

He was taken to have the darshan of presiding deity Lord Sri Krishna along with Vishwavallabha Tirtha and Eshapriya Tirtha. The three Seers later addressed a small gathering of devotees at the Sri Krishna Mutt.

Vedavardhana Tirtha thereafter entered the Shiroor Mutt on Car Street and performed certain rituals.