Head priest was reluctant to leave Mantralayam

Hyderabad
Oct. 8: The pontiff of the Sri Madhvacharya Moola Mahasamsthana Raghavendra Swamy Mutt at Mantralayam Sri Suyateendra Teertha Swamy was reluctant to be airlifted from the mutt on the day Tungabhadra ravaged the town. He agreed only after 10 hours of persuasion by his disciples and the Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa.
Sri Suyateendra Teertha Swamy shared his experience with this newspaper.
He said: “It was quiet till the evening of October 1. However, the water levels started rising by the midnight. I took the Moola Rama deity box and along with 35 sishyas moved to the first floor. On October 2, the water level touched 16-18 feet in the main temple.”
The pontiff added, “I prayed to Lord Rama and Sri Guru Raghavenda Swamy to see that no life is lost.” However, the water level rose. “Even the banyan trees in the garden were uprooted. Looking at the scene, I could imagine ‘pralaya’ as described by sage Markandeya,” the pontiff said.
One devotee, Mr Subanna, called the Karnataka MP, Mr Anantha Kumar, and discussed the situation at the mutt and the need to airlift Swamiji.
Swamiji ensured all disciples and archakas got on board the chopper and only took the last chopper at 5.15 pm on October 2. He was airlifted along with the Moola Rama deities to Raichur. He conducted poojas for the Moola Rama deities on October 3 and 4 at Raichur Swamy. He returned to the mutt on October 5.
from DC