Tuesday, January 11 2005 17:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Vellore: After 61 days of incarceration, the Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi was today (Jan 11, 2005) set free on bail from the Central Prison in Vellore and immediately rushed to Kalavai where he would re-commence the traditional Chandranmousliswarar pooja later this evening.

As the Seer was observing a "Moun Vrath" (Silence) today, he did not speak to the waiting mediapersons, a mutt official said.

As the Seer emerged out of the prison at 16:33 hrs (IST), thousands of Shankar Mutt devotees, including senior BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader Sushma Swaraj, VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) working president Ashok Singhal, prostrated before him and sought his blessings.

The devotees chanted 'Hara Hara Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara', the slogan coined by the Seer, as he boarded the yellow-colour van owned by the Shankar Mutt to proceed to Kalavai, 50 kms from Vellore.

The Chandranmousliswarar Pooja was not performed at the Mutt this morning as both the senior and junior pontiffs of the Mutt were under custody.

Jayendra would resume performing pooja from this evening, the mutt sources told reporters.

The Seer was arrested at Mahaboob Nagar in Andhra Pradesh on November 11 night on the charge of conspiring in the murder of a Kancheepuram temple official Sankararaman on September 3, 2004 and was sent to judicial custody by local magistrate.

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered his release on bail on condition that he would surrender his passport and would not visit the mutt till the investigations in the case were over but later in the evening the junior Seer was arrested in the same case.