A 69-year-old man has taken Mahasamadhi in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The body of the person who took Samadhi was reburied at his residence on Friday. The man took Samadhi at his home near Neyyattinkara, but the officials doubted the claim of his family. After this, the body was exhumed from the grave and sent for post-mortem. The body was brought here with a religious procession and reburied in a large square pit amid the chants of 'Om Namo Namah Shivaya'. His family and the people who buried him described this ceremony as 'Maha Samadhi'. 

Gopan Swami's body was brought from the mortuary to the family home in an open vehicle decorated with flowers. The body was wrapped in a red cloth and seated. His relatives and supporters showered flowers on the body during the religious procession. A large square pit was prepared and named 'Rishi Peetham' (place where a yogi sits) and the remains were buried in it in a cross-legged position, completely covered with 'vibhuti' (sacred ash).

The program ended with 'Om Namo Namah Shivay' chanting.

During the entire 'Maha Samadhi' ritual, local religious leaders and 'sanyasis' chanted 'Om Namo Namah Shivaya' while a large crowd gathered to witness it. On Thursday, Gopan Swami's remains were exhumed amid tight security and a post-mortem was conducted as part of the investigation into his mysterious death. After the post-mortem at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, the body was handed over to the family by noon the same day. According to the initial post-mortem findings, the cause of death appears to be natural, police said.

The court refused to intervene

The exhumation of the body was halted earlier this week following protests from family members and residents. Subsequently, the family approached the Kerala High Court to stop the exhumation of the body, but the court refused to intervene. The incident came to light after posters were put up near the man's house, which read, "Gopana Swami has taken samadhi." The police registered a missing person case and began exhumation following complaints from residents, alleging foul play.

Took samadhi last Friday

Gopan Swamy's son Rajasenan claimed that his father went to the burial site around 11.30 pm last Friday and went into samadhi. He told the media that his father had instructed the family to keep his body away from public eyes and bury it at the designated place. The burial site was specially prepared by Gopan Swamy, who is a priest and who also set up a temple on his property at Kavuvilakam in Neyyattinkara